Opening | Overland Matthew Harris

Join us for the opening Overland by Wangaratta born, Melbourne based artist Matthew Harris.

Overland brings together a new body of work by Wangaratta-born, Melbourne-based artist Matthew 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.

The exhibition 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impact of colonisation on the Wangaratta region and its First Peoples, presenting a new series of paintings informed by historical documents.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, Yeddonba, 2023 (detail) ochre, charcoal and acrylic on hessian, 153 x 200cm, Wangaratta Art Gallery Collection, purchased with the assistance of the Robert Salzer Foundation and Wangaratta Art Gallery Friends Inc.