The Life Of Patricia Millns

British artist and avant-garde aficionado Patricia Millns is one of the founding pioneers of the modern art movement in the region, she also has a lot to say…

- Carmel Gill

The Japanese aesthetic philosophies have been a very strong influence in my life, not necessarily because I chose to wear their clothes, but because of the general holistic sense of being.”

Patricia, 67, a fellow at the Royal Society of Arts in London and a resident of the Middle East for more than three decades, is a woman who knows who she is. “I tend to wear only black Issey Miyake. Its minimalism makes my life simpler.”

This is my third day meeting with Patricia and we’ve spent the last few days shooting this month’s cover story as a celebratory tribute to modern avant-garde. Such is her intellectual fervour and the pace of conversation, that my mind is dizzy from the fascinating stories she tells ranging from her early years in Kuwait then Oman and now her life in the UAE. She weaves in anecdotes of the art world, fashion and feminism, along with experiences that illustrate the diversity and depth of her connections.

Patricia says she always had a fascination with the the UAE as it was forward-thinking and allowed people to try new things and be authentic.

“The Emirates Fine Arts Society based in Sharjah invited me to be a full member even before I came to live in UAE,” she says. “It allowed me the space to show larger installations and to work and show with likeminded artists from the Emirates. In the UAE I had logistical support and the super open city spaces of an urban environment that allowed me the freedom to try larger installations. That, coupled with the beginning of the international art scene, brought a new audience and collectors ready for more avant-garde works.