Matthew Harris: Overland

Overland brings together a new body of work by Harris alongside existing work, including The British Museum, 2023 series on loan from the National Gallery of Victoria collection and With a Warm Embrace, 2023, a major textile sculpture held in the Wangaratta Art Gallery collection.

Overland unpacks the lasting impact of colonisation on the Wangaratta region and its First Peoples, presenting a new series of paintings informed by historical documents. Using natural ochres and charcoal on hessian – a material chosen for its colonial associations and textile history – and works in cyanotype on canvas, Harris weaves together personal and ancestral stories with broader material and cultural legacies.

Image: Matthew Harris, With a Warm Embrace, 2023, recycled industrial felt, Wangaratta Woollen Mills acrylic yarn, gesso, acrylic paint, river stones, polyester filling, each 95 x 80 x 75 cm. Wangaratta Art Gallery Collection. Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by the artist.