Wikipedia

Whess Harman

Whess Harman (born 1990) is a multidisciplinary Indigenous artist, curator, writer, and activist based in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Whess Harman
Born1990 (age 35–36)
Prince Rupert, BC
EducationBachelor of Fine Arts
Alma materEmily Carr University of Art and Design
Known fordrawing, beadwork, textiles, curation, writing
Websitehttps://www.whessharman.com

Biography

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Whess Harman (he/they) was born in Prince Rupert, British Columbia and is a member of the Carrier Wit'at Nation (known under the Canadian government as part of the Lake Babine Nation).[1][2] In 2014, he obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Arts from Emily Carr University of Art and Design.[3] From January 2021 to March 2025, Harman was grunt gallery's curator, having previously worked there as curatorial assistant.[4][5]

Artistic and curatorial practice

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Harman's artistic practice includes drawing and illustration, beadwork, textiles, humour, zines, and wordplay.[6] He often references his identity as a queer, trans member of Carrier Wit’at nation living away from his territories and his involvement in the punk music scene.[7][8] His work explores the ways in which art can be used as a tool of resistance, to interpret questions of identity and relation, and to prioritize internal community dialogue over colonial frameworks.[9][10] His work is held in numerous collections, including at the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery at the University of British Columbia.[6]

Harman's curatorial practice prioritizes emerging queer and BIPOC cultural workers and artists.[7]

Select Artworks

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In spring 2019, Harman developed the These Ones (formally Together Apart) zine series following the Together Apart, Queer Indigeneities 2S/Indigiqueer Symposium.[11][12]

In 2020, Harman designed a "Land Back" sewn patch that was used in a collaboration with musical group The Halluci Nation as the cover for a song with the same title.[13]

Harman's text-based works, including his 2020 mural Body as Vessel/Body as Blockade, are often intentionally difficult to read, forcing the viewer to slow down and put in the labour to decipher what is being said.[14] This work is a response to the frequent question of anyone doing land defense work being asked why they do it.[15]

Select Exhibitions

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Solo Exhibitions

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Group Exhibitions

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  • Somewhere We Have Travelled: Indigenous Alumni Exhibition, Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Vancouver, February 20 - March 20, 2026[18]
  • Land Back Rewind, Vines Den, Vancouver, April 19 - 29, 2025[19]
  • XIÁM, Bill Reid Gallery, Vancouver, February 7 - May 19, 2024[20]
  • Gutters are Elastic, Nanaimo Art Gallery, Nanaimo, July 15 - September 24, 2023[21]
  • Start Somewhere Else, Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, June 16 - August 14, 2022[22]
  • Sensing of the Wound, Or Gallery, Vancouver, March 5 - April 30, 2022[23]
  • Distortions and Echo, Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, May 29, 2021 - January 3, 2022[24]
  • Exploring Care, Part 2: Holding Space, Campbell River Art Gallery, Campbell River, June 1 - August 28, 2021[25]
  • LAND BACK, Open Space, Victoria, October 9, 2020 - January 16, 2021[26]

Select Bibliography

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  • "Body as Blockade," c magazine, Issue 161, August 2025[27]
  • BEING GOOZ!, Catalogue published by UBC Okanagan Gallery, 2021[28]

References

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  1. ↑ "Whess Harman | www.g101.ca". g101.ca. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  2. ↑ "first nations | grunt gallery". grunt.ca. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  3. ↑ Website, Emily Carr University; Communications, Emily Carr; Canada (2019-10-15). "indingenous artists only exhibition event". www.ecuad.ca. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  4. ↑ "Whess Harman Named Curator at Vancouver's Grunt". Galleries West. 2021-01-26. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  5. ↑ Huard, Adrienne. "A Conversation with Whess Harman, the New Curator at grunt gallery – Canadian Art". canadianart.ca. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  6. 1 2 "Belkin Art Gallery Collection".
  7. 1 2 3 Centre, Neutral Ground Artist-Run (2025-02-22). "The Potlatch Punk World Tour". Neutral Ground. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
  8. ↑ Wrinch, Jasper D. (16 June 2019). "Whess Harman". CiTR Discorder Magazine. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  9. ↑ "Artist Salon: Text-based Art with Whess Harman – Richmond Art Gallery". Retrieved 2026-03-06.
  10. ↑ "Whess Harman | On Beaded Ground". legacy.uvic.ca. Retrieved 2026-03-10.
  11. ↑ "These Ones (formerly Together Apart) | grunt gallery". grunt.ca. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
  12. ↑ "Together Apart, Queer Indigeneities". C Magazine Issue 143 Page 63. 2019-09-15. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  13. ↑ Moscufo, Michela. "For These Indigenous Artists 'Land Back' Is Both A Political Message And A Fundraising Opportunity". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  14. ↑ Killian, Sarah (2020-12-04). "Art, resistance, hope converge in LAND BACK exhibition Martlet". Martlet. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
  15. ↑ "LAND BACK Exhibition Brochure".
  16. ↑ "chew the bones, they're soft". Open Space Arts Society. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
  17. ↑ "Lossy: How to Save File for Future Transmission". gallery.ok.ubc.ca. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
  18. ↑ "Somewhere We Have Travelled: Indigenous Alumni Exhibition". ECU. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
  19. ↑ "Vines Art Society honours six years of collective work with Land Back Rewind, April 19 to 29". Stir. 2025-04-04. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
  20. ↑ "XIÁM". Bill Reid Gallery. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
  21. ↑ "Gutters Are Elastic". Nanaimo Art Gallery. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
  22. ↑ "Belkin Art Gallery Collections Management System : Exhibition : Start Somewhere Else: Works from the Collection [0000033]". collection.belkin.ubc.ca. Archived from the original on 2025-05-15. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  23. ↑ Gallery, O. R. "Sensing of the Wound". Or Gallery. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
  24. ↑ "Vancouver Special: Disorientations and Echo". Vancouver Art Gallery. 2026-04-15. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
  25. ↑ "Exploring Care creates a safe space for knowledge around wellbeing | Campbell River Art Gallery". 2021-03-06. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
  26. ↑ "LAND BACK". Open Space Arts Society. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
  27. ↑ "Body as Blockade". Body as Blockade. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
  28. ↑ "Being Gooz!". gallery.ok.ubc.ca. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
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