The Morphs, in which colorful maps of the United States undergo a step by step metamorphosis into military symbols and weapons recall Transformers, those children’s toys originally developed by the Japanese in which robot creatures can be turned into military vehicles and weapons by manipulating their parts. In one of Mills’ morphs, the map becomes a Raptor, a 19th century representation of the American Eagle which stresses its aggressive nature as a bird of prey. Here the suggestion is that the United States is inextricably linked to its military adventures, though Mills speculates that whether viewers sees that as good or bad depends on their political orientation.
—Eleanor Heartney, “Delusions of Grandeur,” Meditations on Empire exhibition catalogue, Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts Museum, and Mandeville Gallery, Union College, 2009-10.
