Harland Miller: Who Cares Wins

Harland Miller: Who Cares Wins

All proceeds from the sale of Who Cares Wins (Blue), an edition of 250, were donated to the National Emergencies Trust in the United Kingdom, the New York Community Trust and Hands On Hong Kong. Part of the United Kingdom funds was also donated to the York Teaching Hospital Charity to support NHS (National Health Service) staff in hospitals across Yorkshire, England. This reflects Harland Miller’s close relationship with his hometown of York. As a response to the pandemic, 1.25m pounds in support of those fighting the pandemic on the frontlines.

Who Cares Wins (Blue) by Harland Miller

“When I first wrote the words ‘Who Cares Wins’, they were about caring for people with dementia – specifically my dad; and at the time the phrase worked like a 5 second pep talk to myself…to keep caring, because really – that’s all I could do…sitting here in my flat – nursing (mercifully mild) symptoms of COVID-19, I see from the lowering sun outside, it’s been a while since I wrote that last line…this inertia maybe a symptom of COVID-19, but it may also be that then – as now! Caring is all we can do…and Caring for the Carers…is I imagine one of the ways we can do this best.”

An image inspired by Harland Miller’s dust jacket series in which the artist works with books as still lifes or three-dimensional objects with their own unknown but personal history of being out there in the world in the world; of having been read, obviously, but also shared, gifted, re-sold, discarded, cherished, forgotten, re-found and even rebound. While Miller conjures these exclusive histories in the beaten up depiction of the books, he also uses his own titles to further qualify this. In this instance, it is those very aspects of being loved, shared, repaired, that the title of Who Cares Wins evokes.