Shala Miller, also known as Freddie June when she sings, was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio by two southerners named Al and Ruby. At around the age of 10 or 11, Miller discovered quietude, the kind you’re sort of pushed into, and then was fooled into thinking that this is where she should stay put. Since then, Miller has been trying to find her way out, and find her way into an understanding of herself and her history, using photography, video, writing and singing as an aid in this process.

Miller's work in photography and film meditates on the intersection of desire, mourning, pain, and pleasure. Taking up skin as a site of history and intimacy with the self and across generations, she holds space for the body’s vulnerabilities and maladies. Miller lives and works in Brooklyn.

The exhibit discussed in the interview is at Lyles & King.

Shala Miller Becoming Obsidian, 2023 Archival pigment print on William Turner paper 20 x 16 inches, 50.8 x 40.6 cm Edition of 2 + 1 AP Courtesy the artist and Lyles & King, New York.

Shala Miller Modern Day Sisyphus I, 2023 Archival pigment print on William Turner paper, hand engraving on lava stone 48 x 28 inches, 121.9 x 71.1 cm Edition of 2 + 1 AP Courtesy the artist and Lyles & King, New York.

Shala Miller Obsidian as Kneeling Inaction Figure, 2023 Polymer powder printed with ink and filled with resin, hand-painted 5 1/4 x 3 x 2 1/2 inches, 13.3 x 7.6 x 6.3 cm Courtesy the artist and Lyles & King, New York.