Mylla Ek started her professional career working with Birgit Cullberg and Mikhail Baryshnikov on the solo piece “Quest” in 1996. Since then, she has created costumes and sets for over thirty productions, working with choreographers Johan Inger, Mats Ek, Shintaro O-ue, Shintaro Hirahara and Martin Schläpfer. In 2010, Mats Ek’s piece “Den Andre” were presented with Mylla Ek’s costumes in Stockholm with Ana Laguna, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Niklas Ek. Among her recent work are “Og Brahms” by Mats Ek, Oslo National Theatre 21/22. 2022 she created costumes for Philip Glass well known "Einstein on the Beach" choreographed by Shintaro Hirahara, Kanagawa Art in Yokohama, Japan and “Kaguyahime - Princess of the Moon” by Uran Hirosaki, Nissay Theatre, Japan 20/21. Earlier contemporary dance pieces are “Symphonic Poem” by Remus Sucheana, Deutsche Oper Am Rhein 19/20 and "Out of Breath”, Atem-Beraubend program by choreographer Johan Inger, Stuttgarter Ballett 2019. As a cross border artist she is also active in other artistic fields, 2018 she presented her solo exhibition “Textile Art in Motion” at the Swedish Embassy in Tokyo, 2018. In 21/22 she debuted at the Vienna State Opera with set and costumes for J. Haydn´oratorium “Die Jahreszeiten” choreographed by Martin Schläpfer.
Ek studied design, art and scenography at Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam and textile at Beckmans School of Design, Stockholm. Following her studies, she worked at Nederlandse Dansteater with Johan Inger, designing set and costumes for pieces like “Dream Play”, “So Now Then”, “Out of Breath”, “Pneuma” and “Empty House”. She also designed set and costumes for Inger’s “Hurry Slowly”, “Phases”, and “As if” and costumes for “Home and Home” und “Within Now” for the Cullberg Ballet and “Le Sacre” at the Royal Swedish Opera.
Since 2000, she has collaborated with C/Ompany directed by japanese choreographer Shintaro O-ue and designed costumes and sets at the Korzo Theater and the Cadance Festival, Den Haag, Theatre Cirque Royal Brussel, The Israeli Opera Tel Aviv, The SITE Stockholm, the Saitama Performing Arts Center Kawaguchi and Japon Dance at The New National Theatre Tokyo.