Nigel Harrison

Born Leeton, Australia

Lives & Works, Port Stephens (Worimi)

Nigel Harrison started his career as a ceramicist in the 1980's, throwing large functional works and hand built sculptural forms. In 1987 he was introduced to steel as a medium and has not fired his kiln since 1993. Obsessed by the qualities of steel and wood, Harrison found his visual language and syntax to describe the relationship shapes have with each other as a metaphor for our relationships.

Since 1996 Harrison has been a regular exhibitor in the annual Defiance Gallery Miniature Sculpture Show and his work has been exhibited extensively throughout Australia. He was a finalist in the National Sculpture Prize in 2003 and awarded the Sydney Water Prize in 2001.

His work is held in many significant public and private collections, including the Campbel|town City Bicentennial Art Gallery, Hazelhurst Regional Gallery, Macquarie University, the Australian Royal Blind Society, the Niland Collection, the Tetsuya Wakuda Collection and the Ronald Ooi Collection in Singapore.

In 2001 he was a guest artist at Art Omi International Artists' Residency in New York. Harrison was previously Head of Sculpture and Lecturer at the National Art School, Sydney.