Arnolfini to open ‘ADORE’: the third exhibition from Bristol-born Garry Fabian Miller

Bristol-born Garry Fabian Miller’s first ever solo exhibition was at Arnolfini in 1979, when he was only 19.

The images displayed in that debut collection – most notably the series Sections of England: The Sea Horizon (1975-1976) were imbued with a profound fascination with nature, a trait which has characterised his work throughout his remarkable career.

Since the mid 1980s, he has worked without a camera, exploring the possibilities of light, as both a medium and a subject. Much of his work has emerged from the daily walks on Dartmoor, where he has lived since that time.

Dancing Sun (i), 1987 to 2020, by Garry Fabian Miller – photo: courtesy of the artist

Fabian Miller was awarded an honorary fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society (headquartered in Bristol) in 2017. Today, his work is held in museums and private collections all over the world, with the largest at The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), London.

Nearly 45 years on from that first collection at Arnolfini, Fabian Miller’s third exhibition at the gallery, ADORE, will encompass work spanning a lifetime of bold and brilliant creative practice.

Garry Fabian Miller – photo: courtesy of the artist and Ingleby Gallery. © Garry Fabian Miller

Alongside some of those first images, the exhibition invites audiences to explore the artist’s ‘camera-less’ practice, and will bring in work from the artists, writers and thinkers that have inspired and collaborated with him.

It’s designed to be a celebratory experience, enhanced by a programme of live events and engagement activities.

The Colour Fields, Pink Encloses the Golden Yellow, by Garry Fabian Miller (2021) – photo: courtesy of the artist

The collection introduces early examples of natural emblems that recur in Fabian Miller’s work, from the hawthorn tree and the flowers and plants in his garden, to the hedgerows beyond.

His creative preoccupation with light and dark – both in nature and as an analogy for birth, life, and death – is thoroughly explored, with variously philosophical, spiritual, and autobiographical resonance.

The Colour Fields, Golden Yellow Encloses the Softest Pink, by Garry Fabian Miller (2022) – photo: courtesy of the artist

ADORE moves out of the darkroom and into a world of vivid colour and light, particularly in works such as The Ark (2020) and Fabian Miller’s Colour Field series.

There is a collaborative project with photographer Nicholas J R White, originating in the inspirational landscapes of Dartmoor, and The Dark Space, a five-film project made in conjunction with Sam Fabian Miller, featuring music from Oliver Coates and Kathleen Frances, and new poems from Alice Oswald.

Winged Hawthorn by Garry Fabian Miller (2021) – photo: courtesy of the artist

For Fabian Miller, ADORE represents an exciting ‘full circle’ moment. “When I was a teenager in Bristol in the mid 1970s,” he recalls, “my future life was shaped by visits to Arnolfini. At the time, it was one of the most important galleries in England. Its exhibitions questioned how art was made and what could be its subject. This, and the radical bookshop, helped me understand that this could be my world.

“Soon after my first show in 1979, I left Bristol to make a new life, returning on occasions, but over time I fell out of love with the city. In 2020 I began working on an unfolding series of tapestries with Dash and Miller and Bristol Weaving Mill – near The Barley Mow, in the ‘wildlands’ behind Temple Meads.

“During these visits I could feel the city changing. Bristol was re-finding its radical roots; Arnolfini had been saved and was staging important exhibitions. I felt again that I belonged. From all this, has grown the exhibition ADORE. It is a special moment. I feel I have come home.”

Tapestry Riuros (ii) Red, by Garry Fabian Miller (2022) – photo: courtesy of the artist and Ingleby Gallery. © Garry Fabian Miller.

Adjacent to his own pieces, ADORE will also introduce a group of “artists, makers, gardeners and Quakers, thinkers, and writers” – featuring a collection of tapestries and rugs, pottery, printmaking, and archive material that places Fabian Miller within a context of a rich craft tradition.

The exhibition will coincide with the publication of a book, designed by Hingston Studio, and available to purchase from the Arnolfini bookshop.

Colour Seed 4, by Garry Fabian Miller (2020) – photo: courtesy of the artist and Ingleby Gallery. © Garry Fabian Miller

In 2023, Fabian Miller will go on to exhibit the full sequence of his Sea Horizons images at the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff, under the title Morwellian.

And, as part of his Honorary fellowship with the Bodleian Libraries at the University of Oxford – who will publish his memoir Dark Room later in the year – he will also continue to deliver his ongoing series of six lectures (between March 2022-October 2023) exploring the history of the darkroom and his very personal picture-making style.

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Garry Fabian Miller: Adore is at Arnolfini from February 18-May 28 (Tuesday-Sunday, 11am-6pm). The exhibition is free and will be bookable in advance, though walk-ins are welcome. More information is available at www.arnolfini.org.uk.

Main photo: Tapestry Riuros (ii) Red, 2022, Garry Fabian Miller. Courtesy the Artist and Ingleby Gallery. © Garry Fabian Miller

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