Melissa Harris
Innovative paper and ceramic installations inspired by the human body and movement.
Dance is an important reoccurring theme in Harris’s work. Figures, including most recently a Harlequin, move gracefully to create organic, figurative and abstract patterns, shapes and forms, interacting with each other in unity and harmony.
Harris’s art-making is experimental and exploratory. Working with paint, paper and paper clay, she constructs sculptures, paintings and collages from hand made painted and printed fragments, all sitting amongst one another, in dance, and creating a dialogue between each section.
Harris has been exploring the concept of the female Harlequin; looking at symbols associated with Harlequin, and the feminine, such as the moon and circles. This ambivalence is further conveyed by playing with the contrast between the angular pattern of the Harlequin costume and circular, organic shapes.
Before moving to London, Harris lived in France, siting her childhood there as a major influence. "This sense of belonging to two different places and a feeling of impermanence has informed my outlook. Restlessness and curiosity often take my work into unexpected areas." Harris is inspired by the vivid colours of the Mediterranean, glass blowing workshops in Biot, the potteries of Vallauris, as well as the local artists’ studios. Later, she began exploring the vast treasure trove of museums and galleries in Paris, and then London; "I draw inspiration from different disciplines; I'm inspired by fashion designers such as Issey Miyake and Zandra Rhodes, ceramicists, Takeshi Yasuda and Magdelene Odundo, and the Japanese sculptor, Isamu Noguchi, for his interdisciplinary approach and his exploration of identity."
Harris has a degree in Three-Dimensional Design and a Diploma in Ceramics.
