Brent Harris b. 1956

Artist Biography

Brent Harris (b. 1956, Palmerston North, New Zealand, based in Melbourne, Australia) is a painter and printmaker whose visual language moves fluidly between abstraction and figuration. Known for surreal compositions that combine expressionist forms, sensual colour applications and meticulous linework, his work explores the human experience of death, dreams, spirituality, sexuality and social relationships, often through an autobiographical lens.

Charged with an emotional and psychological quality, Harris’ forms have dynamically shifted between foreground and background, dancing across positive and negative spaces, since he first gained prominence in the late 1980s. Amid Australia’s HIV/AIDS crisis at the time, Harris’ early work The Stations (1989)—a series of paintings and aquatints—featured a mix of hard contrasts and soft gradients to minimalist, geometric compositions, referencing the religious imagery of Jesus Christ’s journey on the day of crucifixion. In the mid-1990s, the artist began incorporating spontaneous processes, whimsical figuration and a brighter palette. This led to works like the Appalling Moment (1992–1995) series, where images take on playful, cartoon-like zoomorphic and anthropomorphic features that trigger a subconscious reaction from viewers.

Harris obtained his BFA from Victoria College of the Arts, Melbourne in 1984. His work is held in major collections including the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide; Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth; British Museum, London; Christchurch Art Gallery; Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney; National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; National Portrait Gallery, Canberra; and Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane.

Notable solo exhibitions include Surrender and Catch (2024), Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide; The Other Side (2023), Auckland Art Gallery; Towards The Swamp (2019), Christchurch Art Gallery; Brent Harris (2012), National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; Just a feeling (2006), Ian Potter Museum of Art, University of Melbourne; Swamp op—Brent Harris (2006), Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth; The face (2004), Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; and That uncertain feeling (1996), Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia, Adelaide. The artist has also participated in major international festivals including Monster Theatres (2020), 16th Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art and Parallel Lives (2006), 1st TarraWarra Biennial.

Harris had his residency at the STPI Workshop in 2004, resulting in the exhibition Singapore Pulp Works (2005).