Harland Miller, Don’t let the bastards cheer you up, Baltic Mill Gateshead

One of those, it’s-raining-outside-I’ll-just-pop-in-to-shelter-from-the-rain choices. Thank-you, Newcastle weather.

Three series of works from Yorkshire artist, Harland Miller:

• the bad weather series (apt!) of large canvases echoing the style of Penguin paperback covers, with humorous plays on words relating to local places (see above);
• the Ripper series, inspired by ripped and weathered posters pasted onto walls during the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper;
• a set of disfigured and painted typewriters.

I loved so many things about this exhibition. The use and abuse of Penguin iconography and typewriters appealed to the part of me that loves books, texts and fonts. The humour of the ‘book titles’ was straightforward, lighthearted fun. This made the juxtaposition with the macabre Ripper series all the more disturbing. Thoroughly recommended.