Noah Harris, an emerging talent in the world of contemporary art, has unveiled his latest collection,
Wildly Human, at the London Art Exchange (LAX) in Soho. Known for his seamless fusion of hyper-realistic techniques with traditional oil painting, Harris’s work challenges our perceptions of the animal kingdom by placing them in distinctly human contexts. This collection not only showcases his technical prowess but also his ability to evoke empathy, humour, and contemplation through his imaginative subjects.
The Journey Behind “Wildly Human”
Born in the coastal town of Eastbourne, Harris was surrounded by natural beauty from an early age. Yet it was his childhood travels across Europe, Africa, and Asia that ignited his enduring fascination with animals. As a child, he would meticulously sketch and paint the creatures he encountered, from the grand elephants of Africa to the regal tigers of Asia. These early explorations laid the foundation for what would become a career-long inquiry into the connections between humans and animals.
Harris’s art has always been more than an admiration for the animal world. His work delves deep into the behaviours, emotions, and personalities of his subjects, aiming to unearth the ‘humanity’ within them. His childhood love of wildlife has since developed into a sophisticated artistic approach, seeking to blur the lines between the instinctual and the civilised, the natural and the socialised.
Wildly Human is Harris’s boldest collection to date, exploring the shared traits between humans and animals in ways that are at once whimsical, thoughtful, and visually arresting. In this series, Harris portrays animals wearing human attire, complete with familiar accessories, performing everyday roles. Yet despite their attire and settings, these creatures remain rooted in their animalistic nature, creating an intriguing juxtaposition between the wild and the cultured.
Several standout pieces from the series, including El President, Mad Hatter, and The Secretary, highlight Harris’s ability to capture both the physicality and the essence of his subjects.
In El President, Harris presents a frog dressed in a formal suit, complete with a top hat and a cigar. The frog’s expression exudes a certain dignity, almost reminiscent of a powerful leader. Yet there is an underlying humour to the piece – the absurdity of a frog adopting the airs of authority invites a critique of human power dynamics. How much of leadership, the piece seems to ask, is performance?
In Mad Hatter, a white rabbit adorned in oversized pink sunglasses and a vibrant, eccentric suit stands as an embodiment of playful rebellion. With its flamboyant attire and cheeky expression, the rabbit embodies a carefree spirit that is both human in its eccentricity and animalistic in its wildness. Harris’s ability to balance these two qualities – to evoke both the human and the wild – is central to his creative vision.
Meanwhile, The Secretary presents a giraffe sporting oversized red glasses, an animal caught in the monotony of a mundane office role. Yet there is an undeniable elegance in the giraffe’s posture and gaze, blending the world of the corporate with the wild majesty of nature. Harris’s humour shines through here, yet it is balanced by a reflective commentary on the human condition – the tedious routines that we often find ourselves trapped in, mirrored in the giraffe’s composed but unenthused expression.
Merging Styles and Influences
Harris’s ability to merge hyper-realism with surrealism has set him apart in the contemporary art world. While his technical skill in rendering lifelike images of animals is evident, his subjects occupy fantastical worlds that evoke feelings of both familiarity and wonder. His use of traditional oil paints gives his work a timeless quality, while his bold colours and imaginative settings draw from more modern influences, ranging from pop art to street culture.
Harris’s academic background in Fine Art at the University of Brighton has played a significant role in his development. While at university, he refined his technical skills in hyper-realism, but also deepened his understanding of how art can evoke emotional and psychological responses. This is clear in *Wildly Human*, where each subject – despite its human attire – remains emotionally resonant, tapping into a shared experience that transcends species.
What makes Wildly Human particularly compelling is the way Harris uses animals to explore distinctly human experiences. By placing animals in human settings, he encourages his audience to reflect on their own lives, their interactions with the world, and how much of our behaviour is driven by instinct rather than thought. The viewer is invited to question where the boundary lies between the civilised and the wild, and whether that boundary even exists.
At the same time, there is a playful element to Harris’s work. He delights in the absurdity of his scenarios: what if animals were subject to the same quirks and idiosyncrasies as humans? What if we saw in them the same sense of folly, the same emotional depth? His works suggest that the distinctions we make between ourselves, and the rest of the animal kingdom are far thinner than we might like to admit.
Critical Reception and Future Prospects
Wildly Human has garnered significant attention from critics and collectors alike. Its debut at the London Art Exchange, an institution known for spotlighting contemporary and avant-garde artists, has cemented Harris’s place in the London art scene. The collection’s playful yet thought-provoking nature has struck a chord with audiences, and several pieces have already attracted the interest of collectors, both established and new.
As Harris continues to develop his style and vision, it’s clear that he is on a trajectory towards even greater acclaim. His unique ability to blend realism with fantasy, coupled with his deep understanding of human and animal nature, sets him apart in the world of contemporary art. Future exhibitions are expected to further explore the theme of human-animal connections, perhaps pushing the boundaries of what we consider possible in both technique and narrative.
Noah Harris’s Wildly Human is much more than a collection of animal portraits. It is a reflection on the shared experiences of all living beings, an exploration of the common traits that link us to the natural world. Through his attention to detail, his masterful technique, and his playful imagination, Harris invites us to reconsider what it means to be human, and how much of that humanity we share with the creatures around us.
In this series, Harris strikes a delicate balance between humour and depth, inviting us to laugh at the absurdity of his anthropomorphised subjects while also reflecting on the truths they reveal about ourselves. As he continues to evolve as an artist, Wildly Human stands as a landmark moment in his career – a vivid and unforgettable exploration of the animal in all of us.