Harland Miller is another artist I had never heard of, but that has now been rectified. An exhibition by this Yorkshire-born artist and writer was not to be missed at York Art Gallery on a short stay in York. I was born and raised near York but had not been back for many decades, and the city did not disappoint. Busy with tourists, yes, but the gallery (as is often the case) was quiet and peaceful. York Art Gallery is a wonderful space with many floors and a particularly interesting ceramics display, set out as a series of living spaces – I’d never seen the like before and it was very well curated.
The exhibition of Miller’s work was great. His play on words, their meanings and the form of letters was beautiful. The huge canvases and bold colours were elegant in their simplicity, and we found ourselves reflecting on many of the words humans created to represent objects, places and feelings. By default, we accept words for what they are and don’t question their origin and suitability for the concept they stand for. Some words are onomatopoeic and work beautifully well to symbolise an otherwise abstract concept, whereas others, once you contemplate them, are more obtuse, but we accept them anyway. This exhibition made me question language, so once again art did exactly what it should do.
