Whess Harman

Whess Harman (born 1990) is a multidisciplinary Indigenous artist, curator, writer, and activist based in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Biography Whess Harman (he/they) was born in Prince Rupert, British Columbia and is a member of the Carrier Wit'at Nation (known under the Canadian government as part of the Lake Babine Nation). In 2014, he obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Arts from Emily Carr University of Art and Design. From January 2021 to March 2025, Harman was grunt gallery's curator, having previously worked there as curatorial assistant.

Artistic and curatorial practice Harman's artistic practice includes drawing and illustration, beadwork, textiles, humour, zines, and wordplay. He often references his identity as a queer, trans member of Carrier Wit’at nation living away from his territories and his involvement in the punk music scene. His work explores the ways in which art can be used as a tool of resistance, to interpret questions of identity and relation, and to prioritize internal community dialogue over colonial frameworks. His work is held in numerous collections, including at the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery at the University of British Columbia.

In 2020, Harman designed a "Land Back" sewn patch that was used in a collaboration with musical group The Halluci Nation as the cover for a song with the same title.

Harman's text-based works, including his 2020 mural Body as Vessel/Body as Blockade, are often intentionally difficult to read, forcing the viewer to slow down and put in the labour to decipher what is being said. This work is a response to the frequent question of anyone doing land defense work being asked why they do it.

Select Exhibitions

Solo Exhibitions

Potlatch Punk World Tour, Neutral Ground, Regina, April 5 - May 31, 2025 Lossy: How to Save File for Future Transmission, Fina Gallery, University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, June 11 - September 10, 2021

Group Exhibitions

Somewhere We Have Travelled: Indigenous Alumni Exhibition, Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Vancouver, February 20 - March 20, 2026 Land Back Rewind, Vines Den, Vancouver, April 19 - 29, 2025 XIÁM, Bill Reid Gallery, Vancouver, February 7 - May 19, 2024 Gutters are Elastic, Nanaimo Art Gallery, Nanaimo, July 15 - September 24, 2023 Start Somewhere Else, Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, June 16 - August 14, 2022 Sensing of the Wound, Or Gallery, Vancouver, March 5 - April 30, 2022 Distortions and Echo, Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, May 29, 2021 - January 3, 2022 Exploring Care, Part 2: Holding Space, Campbell River Art Gallery, Campbell River, June 1 - August 28, 2021 LAND BACK, Open Space, Victoria, October 9, 2020 - January 16, 2021

Select Bibliography

"Body as Blockade," c magazine, Issue 161, August 2025 BEING GOOZ!, Catalogue published by UBC Okanagan Gallery, 2021