Julie Miller Torres V. 2

Julie Miller Torres is an assemblage printmaker with a background as an attorney. She is represented by Maune Contemporary and Mason Fine Art, two major galleries in Atlanta. Besides repeated showings at Maune and Mason, her work has also been featured recently at Quinlan Visual Arts Center in Gainesville, Georgia, the Atlanta Art Fair, Art Miami, Art Palm Beach, Contessa Gallery in Miami, and the Hamptons Fine Art Fair. Julie’s works remain in the permanent collections of prestigious institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Savannah College of Art & Design. 

With a background in law, an integral part of Julie Miller Torres’ art would be her incorporation of replica historical and legal documents. She shreds these records to create crochets and assemblages which sometimes have the appearance of fiber works. Even though shredded, the text in the documents are usually readable and contain verses which have a significant societal and cultural impact. Julie integrates these shredded documents with silkscreen prints of important historical and cultural figures such as Harriet Tubman, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Abraham Lincoln, Sandra Day O’Conner, and Dolly Parton. As a result, her works are a significant reflection on the sociological, cultural, and historical foundations of the United States.

With a clean presentation, Julie Miller Torre’s works have appearances which range similar to collage to fiber layouts. Often assembled in strips, the assemblage prints convey pressing legal issues with historical references toward human rights, emancipation, and freedom of expression. Her fascination with historical and cultural figures such as Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Abraham Lincoln communicate respect towards people in positions of power, such as a president or supreme court justice, who use their influence to advance specific human rights, such as ending slavery or inequality against women. Julie creates variations of these and similar figures with changing colored attire but with repeated portraits. For example, she will make an entire series of the same image of Dolly Parton through a silkscreen print, but each one will have a varied version of her blouse with different patterns of color. Some of these variations on these figures have pop art elements, such as Abraham Lincoln in a hot pink suit, which reflects a sense of stardom and rock star status. 

Our Nation (pictured above) contains an assemblage derived from constitutional law treatise crocheted much like a work of fiber. Although the text of the documents are unreadable or almost unreadable, the conceptual approach of converting foundational law into creating an American flag reflects a deep respect for the aspects of the republic. In the republic of the United States, concepts such as representation, due process, and individual God-given rights are represented in Julie’s flag both literally and figuratively in conceptual unity which turns the flag into a symbol beyond conveyance of patriotism and one which reflects deep purpose into our rights and freedoms as a community and individuals within our nation.

Julie Miller Torres is an artist whose works have a significant impact on complex issues such as the importance of the law as well as representing symbolic portraits and flags which reflect the unique aspects of American governance. The laws of the United States are unique in comparison to other countries, even other democracies, because we emphasize representation and the rights of the minority to have a proportional influence in government and equal rights under the law. Julie’s chosen subjects along with her conceptual process of integrating legal and replicas of historical documents reflects a respectful expression which has rich and brilliant context towards admiration as well as relevance of the historical, cultural, and sociological fabric and basis of the United States.

https://www.julietorresart.com