D Harding

D Harding, (born 1982, Moranbah, Australia), descendant of the Bidjara, Ghungalu, and Garingbal peoples, infuses their artistic praxes with ancestral oral traditions and techniques such as stencilling, aligning with methods passed down by their ancestors. Harding’s work delves into the histories of silent colonial violence and discrimination faced by Aboriginal communities, scrutinising colonialism’s ongoing legacies and its intersection with globalisation.

For When Solidarity Is Not a Metaphor, D Harding is presenting a site specific work applied directly onto the windows of the Navy Officers’ Club, entitled Transfer painting (Montmartre / Venise), 2024 (2024).

Red ochre, or hematite, or red iron oxide, are all names for the red coloured earth pigment used as a foundation of international art and material culture since before the modern era. One form of this red ochre, labeled Rouge de Venise, was used by artists along the trade routes out of Venice, and throughout the world.

For this artwork the artist saturated art paper with liquid paint made of the Rouge de Venise ochre bought in Paris. The red pigment and gum acacia binder were stored for return to Venice as dry watercolour paint on this large red monochrome palette. Using only water, colour has been removed from the surface of the red monochrome paper artwork in order to tint the windows a local shade of natural earth colour.

Transfer painting (Montmartre / Venise), crafted for the Navy Officers’ Club, interrogates the concept of territories marked by disparate uses, traditions, and cultures. Harding establishes a dialogue between the lands of their ancestors, their Brisbane studio’s former industrial setting, and the exhibition venue in Venice.

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