Internationally acclaimed artist and writer Harland Miller returns to York Art Gallery this March to present ‘XXX’, a new exhibition showcasing paintings and works on paper from his renowned ‘Letter Paintings’ series. Inspired by his upbringing in 1970s Yorkshire and an itinerant lifestyle in New York, New Orleans, Berlin and Paris during the 1980s and ’90s, Miller creates colourful and graphically vernacular works that convey his love of popular language and attest to his enduring engagement with its narrative, aural and typographical possibilities.
Says Miller, born in York: “It’s great to return to York again with this new show. Five years ago, we opened the exhibition ‘York, So Good They Named it Once’, so it’s 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. This show is entitled ‘XXX’, but it doesn’t flout any indecency laws, so it should stay open longer than the last one, which was slated to run for 6 months but closed after only a few weeks (as was the whole of the city) due to lock down, so I never did find out what being given the keys to the city unlocked. But York is a city of perpetual mystery and history, including mine, and it always draws me back. It’s especially exciting to share this with everyone – not once, but twice.”
Coinciding with the release of a book of the same title by Phaidon, ‘XXX’ will showcase Miller’s striking hard-edged ‘Letter Paintings’ series and will feature new works by the artist, one of which celebrates the city of York. Inspired by medieval manuscripts, where monks often laboured to produce intricate illuminated letters to mark the beginning of chapters, Miller’s ‘Letter Paintings’ seamlessly meld the sacred with the everyday. In these works, the artist uses bold colours and typefaces to accentuate the expressive versatility of words and acronyms such as ‘ESP’, ‘If’ and ‘Star’.
The ‘Letter Paintings’ present overlaid letter forms as their image, with a neutral band at the bottom as a ‘title’ alongside Miller’s own name as their ‘author’. By isolating, overlaying and reuniting individual letters, the artist creates a sense of depth in the image and encourages contemplation. Vibrant, saturated colour palettes are deployed in standout works such as ‘XXX’, ‘Boss’ and his first hard-edged diptych, ‘Far Out’. Preparatory drawings on graph paper allow for fascinating insights into the structural composition that informs Miller’s large-scale, finished paintings.
Dr Beatrice Bertram, Senior Curator at York Art Gallery, says: “We are delighted to welcome Harland back to the Gallery and his home city to show this extraordinary exhibition entitled ‘XXX’. The displays in York explore his celebrated series of ‘Letter Paintings’, brought together for the first time alongside new work created exclusively for our exhibition. 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.”
The exhibition’s themes will extend beyond the indoor gallery spaces and into the gardens through a creative interpretation of Miller’s vibrant ‘Far Out’ diptych (2022) using a selection of flowering plants. Visible from the ground and the Gallery’s balcony, the plantings will be sown on two wired raised planting beds on the sloping grass verge behind the Gallery, which leads up to the wildflower meadow. This floral installation will be planned so that flowers appear from the end of June, peaking during summer.
The exhibition is also accompanied by a programme of events, including a Q&A with the artist and community activities to inspire, inform, and involve everyone.
A nationally important exhibition for York, Yorkshire and the UK, ‘Harland Miller: XXX’ runs from 14 March until 31 August 2025.
Top Photo: P C Robinson 2025
Harland Miller: XXX York Art Gallery 14 March to 31 August 2025