The Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA) is proud to present All the secrets are buried between the oceans and the mountains, Western Australian artist Stormie Mills’ first solo exhibition to be held at an Australian state gallery.
Mills has spent four decades shaping the visual language of contemporary urban culture as a defining figure of Australian street art. Throughout his career, Mills has played a pivotal role in advancing street art as a recognised art form, helping shift public perception from underground graffiti to a respected and influential movement.
His works explore themes of connection, isolation, tenderness, resilience and the human condition, which has resonated across cultures.
This landmark exhibition presents a selection of works from across his career alongside a new body of work, the collection reflecting his global movements, personal history, and the encounters that have informed his practice, dating to when he first began painting in 1984.
“This exhibition recognises not only his artistic contribution, but the emotional depth and humanity embedded in the work,” siad Colin Walker, Director of AGWA.
All the secrets are buried between the oceans and the mountains brings together a significant body of works that reflect Mills’ desire to connect intimately with others through painting, storytelling and shared experience.
The exhibition features two 12 metre long paintings, referencing the oceans and the mountains respectively, and expansive scenes of seas, peaks and voids in reference to places Mills has travelled through, and to echo the duality of his lived experience. His early life was marked by instability, having moved schools 11 times, living alone in New York at 16 and eventually squatting in East Perth. Painting gave Mills a point of continuity in an unpredictable world, these years formative to the emotional honesty of his practice.
“I started with the idea of secrets. For many years I worked on found objects, including drawers that had been thrown away. These were the places that I thought people would hide secrets,” said Stormie Mills.
“Then I started thinking about how we hold secrets, within the body. This links the idea of a skull as a commonality we all share. Although I believe that secrets manifest in the body, in the way we can move or hold ourselves, I wanted people to think more about their own secret and about how they feel about what it is they hide and hold away from everyone else.”
Stormie Mills’ career gained early recognition in Western Australia in 1994, when he was invited to participate in the State Government’s anti-graffiti messaging through creating the public Wellington Street freeway underpass mural.
His first solo exhibition was in 1999, at the artist-run space Jack Sue in West Perth. The ten works on show sold out within minutes. Since then, his work has appeared in galleries, public spaces, major cultural centres and private collections across the globe, with sold-out solo exhibitions throughout Australia cementing his standing in the contemporary art world. Recently, he was invited as a guest of honour at the 2027 Florence Biennale.
Alongside his creative practice, Mills has been commited to the community. His work is included in the Western Australian curriculum, and he regularly conducts workshops in prisons, youth centres and CARE schools.
“Art gave me something to hold onto. I want people, especially those doing it tough, to know that no matter where you are in life, there is always hope,” said Mills.
All the secrets are buried between the oceans and the mountains opens at AGWA on Saturday, August 1, and runs until Sunday, November 8.
