September 26 – December 20
The layering of found materials is intrinsic to the work of Carole Harris. An interest in adornment and material histories anchors her practice, while excising, collapsing, layering, and otherwise manipulating textiles is a formal through line. She works intuitively, collecting and arranging found fabrics, papers, loose threads, and other materials. By fraying, ripping, burning, sewing, and intervening onto the surfaces of these found items, Carole develops colourful, expertly arranged compositions that hold evidence of the layered memories we develop and carry with us through life. Her inspirations are wide ranging and include jazz, African textile traditions, and a Korean mulberry-felting technique called Joomchi, which she used to create the works on view. For Carole, Beyond the Surface, Hidden, Yet Still There, and The Forgotten Remembered (2020) are a reflection on the passing of time and a strong metaphor for her ethos that nothing is wasted.
Co-presented by the Toronto Biennial of Art and the Art Museum at the University of Toronto and made possible with the generous support of the Women Leading Initiative
Bio
Bio
Carole Harris
Carole Harris is a fiber artist born and raised in Detroit. She has maintained a studio practice there for several decades. She was introduced to textile art at an early age by her mother and through sewing classes in elementary school. After graduating from Wayne State University in 1966 with a BFA in art, she began to explore textiles as an art form. She sought to extend the boundaries of quiltmaking.
For over 33 years, Harris owned and operated a commercial interior design firm. During this time, she also practiced the craft of making quilts as art. In 2007, she transitioned to devoting her time exclusively to her studio art practice.
Her current work meditates on memory and time. Color, materials, and compositions interact like layers of memory we accumulate. These works evoke the complexity of time. Moments blur, fade, and reemerge anew. They recall moments of love, loss, and the cycle of human experience.
Harris is a 2015 Kresge Arts Foundation Fellow. Her work is included in collections such as the Detroit Institute of Arts. Recent exhibitions include Art Basel in Paris, France, and a solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit.
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Accessibility
Art Museum at the University of Toronto - University of Toronto Art Centre
Accessible entrance and washrooms
Accessible ramps / elevators
AODA compliant building
Accessible parkingUniversity of Toronto Art Centre (15 King’s College Circle) Accessible Entrance: There is a ramped entrance at the northwest corner of University College (near the Croft Chapter House).
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Getting There
Art Museum at the University of Toronto - University of Toronto Art Centre
TTC: Museum Station; Queen’s Park Station; 506 Carlton streetcar; and the Route 5 bus
Bike Share: Willcocks St / St. George St and Wellesley St W / Queen’s Park Crescent
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