We are delighted to present Peace & Tranquility, a new commission in Hammersmith Hospital's intensive care unit by painter and printmaker Millicent Straker.
Imperial Health Charity were asked to support the refurbishment of the 'quiet room' in Hammersmith Hospital ICU with new artwork. The quiet room is a dedicated space for patients and their families to receive news pertaining to their treatment and surgical outcomes which, given the nature of the unit, can be difficult news to receive.
Following discussions with staff about their need for soothing artwork, we invited Millicent Straker to create a bespoke series of works that would gently and sensitively enhance the room, bearing in mind the types of conversation that can take place in it.
The resulting set of monoprints act as windows to a mythical landscape. As suggested by the title, Straker’s world is one of complete calm. Within it, cosy lakeside dwellings, dwarfed by wide open plains and towering mountain ranges, offer an alternative to the overstimulation of the city. Swaddled in a sky that hovers in perpetual sunrise, each vista brims with the promise of a new day.
The commission has been further enhanced by two additional artworks generously donated by the artist, which have been permanently installed in the entrance to the ICU unit, creating a sense of visual continuity for visitors moving through it.
Straker’s practice spans various mediums and techniques. She draws inspiration from the emotional responses she feels to the natural environment, starting with observational drawings, notes and photographs made outside. These references serve as the foundation of her work, which she brings together in a dynamic interplay of printmaking and painting. Through her art, she aims to highlight the tension between humanity’s connection to nature and our growing sense of separation from it, often reflecting on the contrast between domestic and natural settings.
Millicent Straker (b. 1994) is a multi-disciplinary artist based in London. After completing her Foundation at City and Guilds, she went on to earn an MA in Fine Art Printmaking from Camberwell College of Art. In 2020, she was awarded The Artichoke Print Workshop Award.