Viewing Room: Harland Miller (British, 1964) | 1 - 30 June 2023

Yorkshire to London, via Paris

Born in Yorkshire, British artist and writer Harland Miller (b. 1964) graduated from Chelsea School of Art in 1988 with both a Bachelor's and Master's degree. Following his time at university, Miller's peripatetic career has included time spent in both Europe and America.

Miller's work, both his writings and artworks, often take his autobiography as the point of departure. His output regularly sets up the potential for narratives using titles, phrases or single words to echo or allow for multiple readings.

In 1987, Miller had his first ever solo exhibition at the Diorama in London. He then went on to New York where he would exhibit as a solo artist at Prisunic Gallery in 1990 and 1991. Widening his French audience, with thanks to his shows at Prisunic Gallery, Miller then moved to Paris where he had three more solo exhibitions over the next five years. During this period, Miller also spent a year living in Berlin, which is where he embarked upon his writing career.

Not Just a Painter of Books, but a Writer Too....

Although more widely recognised for his works on paper and canvas, Miller first won critical acclaim as a writer with his debut novel, Slow Down Arthur, Stick to Thirty, being published in 2000. The work charts the story of a boy who travels around northern England with a David Bowie impersonator.

Later that year, Miller also published At First I was Afraid, I was Petrified - a visually led book that is considered a short study of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The work's sardonic title, borrowed from the Gloria Gaynor song, is echoed in the title of one of Miller's later artworks, with puns and wordplay being the basis of many of the artist's work.

Penguins on Canvas

In 2001 Miller produced the first of his iconic series of Penguin Book covers and was immediately struck by the visceral nostalgia of it. The body of work allowed Miller to merge painting with his love of the printed word; fusing Pop art with abstraction in order to highlight humour, irony and sarcasm as he explored the quality of painting with the intricacies of language. Consequently, Miller has spent the past two decades developing his satirical take on the books, marrying his love for words and art.

International Lonely Guy

Published in 2007, International Lonely Guy was Miller's first major illustrated study of his paintings, delving into the themes and ideas that run throughout and influence his artworks. The name was reportedly inspired by Sir Elton John who described the lonely experience of waking up, alone, in a new city.

In 2020 Miller's work on canvas 'International Lonely Guy' (2007) sold at Christie's (London) for £206,250.