BIO

Megan Gabrielle Harris’s desire to paint began at an early age, ignited by her father Thomas Harris, whose paintings covered every wall in their home and continues to be influenced by his work and his Escapism style. 

Harris’ paintings typically feature Black women depicted as content, powerful and self-sustained figures, often set against rich, dream-like backdrops, creating scenes that find these figures at moments of leisure and reflection. Built up from many thinly applied layers, she bases her compositions on memories of landscapes from her life growing up in Northern California and scenery recalled from travels to alluring places such as South Africa, Hawaii, and Italy. The women, who are dominant subjects of several works, are inspired by an amalgamation of women from her family and friends, oftentimes based on memory, photographs and imagined realities, adding to the paintings’ sense of reflection and timelessness. 

(b. 1990, Sacramento, CA) received a B.A. in Art History from California State University, Sacramento. She has exhibited work with Anat Ebgi Gallery, New York, NY; Winston Wachter Fine Art, New York, NY; De Buck Gallery, New York, NY; Nolan House in Governor’s Island, NY; Out of Africa Gallery (OOA), Sitges, Spain; 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, London, UK; Christie’s, London, UK; SHOWstudio Gallery, London, UK; Artcurial, Paris, FR; Bonhams, Paris, FR; Art X Lagos, Lagos, NG; and RBM Latitudes, Johannesburg, ZA; In 2025 Harris completed artist residencies with the Mack Art Foundation in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY and Villa Lena in Turin, IT. Harris is based in Brooklyn, NY.