So says artist and writer Harland Miller, talking about his new exhibition which runs from March 14 until August 31 at York Art Gallery.
XXX showcases Miller’s paintings and works on paper from his ‘Letter Paintings’ series – inspired by growing up in York during the 1970s and his “itinerant lifestyle” in New York, New Orleans, Berlin and Paris during the 1980s and 1990s.
The work draws from his love of popular language and narrative.
Harland Miller who is bringing his XXX exhibition to York Art Gallery (Image: Ollie Hammick) It is inspired by medieval manuscripts, where monks often laboured to produce intricate illuminated letters to mark the beginning of chapters.
Miller uses bold colours and typefaces to overly letter forms as their image, with a neutral band at the bottom in the form of a title alongside his name as their author.
The artist was looking forward to exhibiting his work for a six-month period at York Art Gallery in 2020.
But Covid stuck, with lockdowns across the country – and so the exhibit came to an end after a few weeks.
“I never did find out what being given the keys to the city actually unlocked,” admitted Miller. “But York is a city of perpetual mystery and history, including my own, and it always draws me back.
“It’s especially exciting to be sharing this with everyone – not once, but twice.”
“Five years ago we opened the exhibition ‘York, So Good They Named it Once’, so it’s kind of appropriate in some sense to be doing it once more… but this time with an entirely new body of work which has never been seen anywhere all together before, so it’s very exciting.”
Art gallery ‘delighted’ to welcome artist back to York
The exhibition coincides with Miller’s new book, XXX, which will showcase the Letter Paintings series and new work by the artist, one of which celebrates York.
Dr Beatrice Bertram, senior curator at York Art Gallery, said the art gallery is “delighted” to welcome Harland back to York for “this extraordinary exhibition”.
“The displays here in York explore his celebrated series of ‘Letter Paintings’, brought together for the first time alongside new work created exclusively for our exhibition,” she said.
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“Harland’s distinctive, impactful paintings are instantly recognisable and repay close looking.
“His clever use of language and colour encourages us to encounter everyday words afresh, as he lays letters over one another in an intriguing process of deconstruction and reconnection.
“Don’t miss this unique opportunity to experience Miller’s bright, bold, brilliant body of work produced during an exciting new phase in his career.”
Visit York Art Gallery’s website for more information about the exhibition.
