Zach Harris: Drawings, 2023

The act of drawing is fundamental to Harris’ unique practice, which is rooted in multiple traditions of painting, sculpture and architecture. Previous exhibitions of the artist have centered around objects falling under the rubric of painting; Drawings, 2023 foregrounds works on paper, presenting an expansive and ambitious installation of 9 x 12 inch drawings, all completed last year.

Drawings, 2023 is the culmination of a year-long project that began with an invitation for Harris to create a coloring book. That point of origin eventually branched outwards to address an array of themes and interests, including pedagogy and color theory, as well as a desire to respond more intuitively to pressing political and technological events with a sense of imagination and freedom.

Harris' imagery is wide ranging: furniture and object studies, surreal anatomical renderings, political satire and sci-fi dystopian scenes. Tiny notes and cryptic musings are embedded in the drawings, adding a greater sense of intimacy and meaning to these idiosyncratic, personal works.

Harris has long considered the artist notebook to be the purest form of creative practice, allowing for an immediate and profound exploration of ideas. The openness and vitality Harris experienced through his drawing project is writ large in Drawings, 2023. From one drawing to the next, we are offered an intimate glimpse into the facets of daily life over the course of 2023.

About the Artist:

Zach Harris makes objects that resist attempts at easy categorization. Neither wholly representation nor wholly abstract, his works are resolved through a combination of technique, craft and honing of vision. Harris pursues an idiosyncratic and highly personal vocabulary that paradoxically allows him to engage with an array of sources drawn from numerous cultural and natural contexts.

Zach Harris (b. 1976 in Santa Rosa, CA) lives and works in Los Angeles. Solo exhibitions have been presented at Guerrero Gallery (Los Angeles), Perrotin (New York and Paris), David Kordansky Gallery (Los Angeles) and Feuer/Mesler (New York). His work has been featured in numerous group shows at venues including The Jewish Museum, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Hammer Museum and Fleisher Ollman Gallery. Harris’ work is included in the permanent collections of the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the Princeton University Art Museum and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. 

Gallery Details:

TOA Presents is located at 655 19th Avenue NE, Suite 104, in the Northeast neighborhood of Minneapolis. The gallery entrance is at the back of the building.