Consigned to oblivion is a suite of seven large-scale white ochre and charcoal paintings on linen, the size and scale of which is reflective of a standard museum archival shelf. Across their layered and tactile surfaces, Harris has rendered a series of white boxes that sit in darkness, waiting. The installation formally references traditions of minimalism and seriality to draw attention to the relentless and repetitious efforts of museums and collecting institutions, and the ongoing history of gate-keeping that has denied Aboriginal ancestral remains and culturally significant objects and materials the right to return to home. In doing so, Harris emphasises the secrets, the lies, and this macabre history of collecting, and the role of contemporary art practice in shedding light in the dark.
When reflecting on his new commission, Harris notes: ‘From afar they’re the type of monochromatic, repetitive, minimalist paintings you might find at Dia: Beacon. Up close the lumpy surface reveals the texture of their material – crushed charcoal and white ochre, white ochre being most commonly used for sorry business. Far from pure abstraction, the paintings depict a museum storage facility with endless shelves of archival boxes containing bones held in institutional limbo […] ancestral remains, sacred objects and cultural heritage behind layers of impenetrable bureaucratic control’.