For their 2019 summer show, White Cube HK hosts the Hong Kong debut of Harland Miller, who introduces new paintings, drawings, and prints. Focused on extensive explorations of text, image and the language of painting, Miller steps away from his universally famous remakes of Penguin Books' book covers from the 1960s and 1970s.
Presented on both floors, the latest series features bright outlines of letters in a range of typefaces and colors previously introduced at his London show. Some cleaner, some in large scale on canvas and some merely a sketch on paper, all feature intersecting letters that form abbreviations, such as "me," "luv," "boss," "hell," "xxx," etc. Overlaying and intertwining single letterforms, Miller creates depth while eliminating symbolic value and creating abstract compositions.
Using a pop art-inspired color palette, the artist's large paintings dominate the ground floor. As an obvious reference to the layout of book covers, the bottom of each piece features a neutral-colored band with an enigmatic title and Miller's name as the author. Simplifying his process, the text is approached formally, as a painterly element, with lines and curves becoming integral to image and concept.
Isolating and overlaying various letterforms, Miller's clean, graphic process juxtaposes against thick layers of oil, creating an effective texture-rich surface that merges two familiar worlds. Taken even further, the artist uses brushwork and the transparency of paint to abstract the image further, constructing a dynamic, kaleidoscopic or transparent effect, almost entirely removing the conceptual part of the work. –Sasha Bogojev
Harland Miller's exhibition is on view at White Cube HK through August 24th.
Profile photo courtesy White Cube (Ollie Hammick). Exhibition photos © White Cube (Theo Christelis). Courtesy White Cube.
