Matthew Harris (b. 1991, Wangaratta, lives Yállabirrang Naarm, Melbourne) is an artist of mixed Koorie and European descent. His recent paintings bring together minimal serial abstraction with familial narrative and institutional critique especially as are conveyed by materials and material histories. Parallel to his painting practice, Harris creates sculpture in a range of materials which have drawn upon the labour of family members and icons of European sculpture. A queer sensibility underpins the work. Humour operates as a vessel for disruptive content.
Harris was a studio artist at Gertrude Contemporary, Melbourne from 2020—2023. In 2024, he completed his first public art commission at 602 Little Bourke St, Melbourne, at Make Room, a collaborative project between government and the philanthropic sector to address the critical needs of homelessness in Melbourne.
Key exhibitions
- Wild Grass: Our Lives | 8th Yokohama Triennale, Yokohama Museum of Art, Yokohama (JP), 2024
- Between Waves, curated by Jessica Clark, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne, 2023
- Melbourne Now, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 2022
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Matthew Harris: Spiritual Poverty, Gertrude Glasshouse, Melbourne, 2022
Collections
Artbank
City of Darebin
City of Melbourne
Murray Art Museum Albury
National Gallery of Victoria
Wangaratta Rural City