Stories from the Sky
A Solo Exhibition by Stef Harris
Gallery 1
November 12 – December 3
Opening Reception: Saturday 14 September, 2 – 4pm
Stef Harris is an emerging abstract artist living and working on Wurundjeri Country. Her atmospheric, abstract paintings transform landscape, memory and materiality into enduring works of colour and light.
Working with natural fabrics like cotton, linen and silk, and pigments gathered from the site of origin of each piece, Stef builds her compositions in gradual, fluid layers of organic motion, embedding traces of time and place directly into the surface of the work.
Informed by the Japanese philosophy of mono no aware — an awareness and appreciation of the beauty of impermanence — her work invites a slower, more attentive way of seeing, offering space for reflection on our connection to place.
Stef was a finalist in the 2026 Greenhouse Interiors Art Prize, 2024 National Contemporary Art Prize and the 2024 Art Edit Self Represented Art Award. She held her first solo exhibition in 2024, her second solo exhibition Stories from the Sky opens at West End Art Space in November 2026. Her works are held in private and corporate collections both in Australia and internationally.
Stef Harris’s new solo exhibition, Stories from the Sky, explores the emotional resonance of landscape through atmospheric, romantic abstractions shaped by light, colour, memory and experience. Her process begins with time in nature. Slowing down, listening, observing, and noticing the subtle sensations of her surroundings—scents, sounds, colors, temperature, and the gentle shifting of light.
Working with natural textiles and materials gathered from the site of origin of each piece, she builds slow, responsive layers of colour guided by observation and surrender. Soft transitions, muted tones and subtle contrasts shape gentle, dreamlike worlds where light, colour and atmosphere invite the viewer into moments of quiet contemplation and introspection.
Each work is a brief story of light, a portal to infinite possibilities shaped by the viewer’s own experiences and associations.