John Miller's Dual Exhibition Explores Mediated Reality Through Painting and Digital Illusion

John Miller presented a two-part exhibition titled 'Here in the Real World' simultaneously at Mary Boone Gallery and Metro Pictures in New York from January 10 through February 28, 2015. Curated by Piper Marshall at Mary Boone Gallery, the show featured paintings that challenge perceptions of manual, mechanical, and digital labor. At Metro Pictures, shaped Dibond panels depicted anonymous pedestrians in thin acrylic grisaille, appearing like photographs from afar but revealing pencil marks upon closer inspection. These works derive from Miller's ongoing 'Middle of the Day' project, where he photographs daily between noon and 2 PM. Large-scale murals at both galleries presented manipulated street scenes—Chinatown at Mary Boone and a loading dock at Metro Pictures—printed on vinyl wallpaper with mirrored elements and duplicated figures. Mary Boone also displayed paintings of depopulated game show sets created between 1998 and 1999 that resemble digital prints despite being acrylic on canvas. Both galleries included recent paintings of reality TV contestants in emotional moments, rendered with visible grids and pencil marks. Miller's work questions the materiality of art in an image-saturated culture, blurring lines between painting and photography, handcraft and digital reproduction.