AMY MILLS
NO MORE TEARS
For 30 days I wanted to record the life of someone with Cystic Fibrosis, a condition that affects the lungs, pancreas, and in my case the liver and bowel. As part of my Cystic Fibrosis, I had a liver transplant at the age of 12. As a result of the medication to stop my body rejecting the new organ, I got diabetes. Through photographs I have tried to capture my daily routine of taking up to 40 pills, injecting insulin, enduring nasal washes and wearing a mask to open my air ways. In the beginning this was an experiment. I wanted to challenge myself to take my medication as prescribed, which was something I have long struggled with because I am tired of being sick. This project started by taking 10 photographs per day for 30 days. I wanted each photo to be different even though the routine is continual and will be for the rest of my life. The rest of my life, that’s a strong statement and one I have always been afraid of. There are 300 photos in this installation. I wanted to tell the truth, I wanted to be honest and I wanted to stop hiding this side of myself from the world. This is me, Amy Claire Mills.
BIOGRAPHY
Amy was born in 1988 in Sydney Australia, where she is currently living. In 2010 she graduated with a diploma in photography from The Canberra Institute of Technology, then went on to complete her Bachelor of Photography in 2011. Amy’s work focuses on how people look at and perceive illness. Through her photography she hopes to seek out the truth, ask questions and find answers about the experience of being sick. Her work No More Tears was recently featured in a solo exhibition at the Huw Davies Gallery in Canberra. She has also been featured in multiple group exhibitions since graduating from study. At present she is looking into work around Parkinson’s Disease, because of her love for M.J. Fox and the way in which he has dealt with his illness with both dignity and grace.
Amy is represented by The Photography Room.