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Dale Harding

In Conversation with Hilary Thurlow

Hilary Thurlow
Eyeline 90
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Descendent of the Bidjara, Ghungalu and Garingbal peoples of Western and Central Queensland, artist Dale Harding (born 1982) draws upon his matrilineal heritage to redress issues of Australia’s fractured social and political histories. Wary of the omissions and untruths in archives written by the colonisers, Harding’s work is informed by the lived experiences and oral histories of his family. Through wall painting, sculpture and installation, he pays homage particularly to the women of his family. Harding’s direct matrilineal line—his great-grandmother, grandmother and mother—lived under state-control, labouring as domestic servants. They are pillars for both his practice and for himself. From hessian sacks to black silicone, Harding uses materials embedded with allegorical qualities to relay his family’s stories with a poetic sensibility and to intersect with his queer identity. Harding’s family history is not shared rashly, he consciously abides by strict protocols to ensure he does not speak for his family, but with them. His works may appear bound to the past, yet are liberated from it. Through sharing techniques for blowing ochres and pigments, as well as narratives of the past, with younger family members, the processes and practices of art forms which otherwise might be lost, persist and are preserved in a cultural continuum.

 

Hilary Thurlow: What drew you to matrilineal histories? I know you have done work with your Uncle Milton, yet you have dedicated a large part of your work to exploring women’s histories, such as your grandmother’s.

Dale Harding: What is the pull? Nana was so outspoken and a clear and significant leader in her communities. What was the pull? I had some insight into some of Mum’s perspectives and experiences as a... The rest of this article is available to subscribers of Eyeline

Blakboy, blakboy, the colour of your skin is your pride and joy, 2012. Cotton thread, cloth, found timber frame, 26 x 34 x 2cm. Photograph Dale Harding. Courtesy the artist and Milani Gallery, Brisbane.

Blakboy, blakboy, the colour of your skin is your pride and joy, 2012. Cotton thread, cloth, found timber frame, 26 x 34 x 2cm. Photograph Dale Harding. Courtesy the artist and Milani Gallery, Brisbane.

Body of Objects, 2017. Silicone, steel nails, timber, dimensions variable. Installation views. EMST, Athens, documenta 14. Photograph Mathias Voelzke. Courtesy the artist and Milani Gallery, Brisbane.

Body of Objects, 2017. Silicone, steel nails, timber, dimensions variable. Installation views. EMST, Athens, documenta 14. Photograph Mathias Voelzke. Courtesy the artist and Milani Gallery, Brisbane.