Whess Harman

Whess Harman is a member of the Carrier Wit’at Nation, a nation amalgamated by the federal government under the Lake Babine Nation and currently resides on the traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples. He doesn’t like cops and believes in land sovereignty for Indigenous peoples all across the globe, including Palestine. In his arts practice he works primarily in drawing, text and textiles. As an independent curator and occasional editor and contributor to a variety of small publications, he prioritizes emerging queer and BIPOC cultural workers and artists.  

Harman’s residency will take place in a studio space within Emily Carr University, where he will continue his series of banner drawings, a series of work that reflects urban indigenous culture while integrating ethos of the Potlatch into artistic practice. 

This production residency marks the beginning of a partnership between Libby Leshgold Gallery and Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art to support the production and presentation of three artists from the Pacific Northwest at the Asia Pacific Triennial 2027 in Brisbane, Australia. The artists include Whess Harman (Carrier Wit’at), Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun Lets’lo:tseltun (Cowichan, Hul’q’umi’num Coast Salish; and Okanagan, Syilx), and Marianne Nicolson (Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw, Musga̱maḵwDzawada̱’enux̱w First Nations).