Matthew Harris

Exploring Abstract Imagery through Painting, Stitching, and Fabric

Matthew Harris is a textile artist and graduate of the Textile Course at Goldsmiths College. Since 2000, he has created dynamic works by combining painting, cutting, and hand-stitching techniques. With a background in drawing and works on paper, Harris seamlessly translates abstract imagery and drawn marks into textile art, producing innovative and visually engaging pieces. His work focuses on pattern, repetition, and the disrupted journey of line and image across the surface of cloth.

By piecing, patching, and assembling fabric, Harris explores the relationship between form and texture, creating works that challenge the traditional boundaries of textile art. Through this process, he aims to convey the complexities of dissonance and movement within the materials, offering a unique perspective on the intersection of drawing, painting, and fabric manipulation.

Selected Public Collections, Exhibitions and Collaborative Projects:

Whitworth Museum and Art Gallery, Manchester UK

Shipley Museum and Art Gallery, Gateshead UK

Crafts Council UK

World Economics Forum, Switzerland

International Quilt Museum, Nebraska, USA

Additionally, Harris’s pieces are featured in many private collections worldwide, solidifying his reputation as a leading figure in contemporary textile art.

Field Notes

In 2014, Harris participated in Field Notes, a collaborative project with British composer Howard Skempton and the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group. He also completed Scorched in 2009, a ten-meter-long graphic score for the Colston Hall music venue in Bristol, adding a unique layer to his artistic portfolio through textile-based performance art.

Matthew Harris lives and works in Britain.