Orange Regional Gallery is set to host one of the most significant exhibitions by a Central West artist in recent years, when Harrie Fasher: Before Dawn opens on Saturday 29 November. The major solo show will run through summer, until 22 February 2026
Before Dawn brings together a new body of monumental bronze and concrete sculptures, shown alongside more intimate works. The exhibition marks the culmination of around five years of focused artistic and technical research, pushing scale, materials and installation in Orange Regional Gallery’s North Gallery space.
Fasher’s work is known for its contrasts – rough steel line against refined casting, weighty forms that somehow suggest fragility, and figures that feel both ghostly and very present. Her equine sculptures, often described as “drawings in space”, explore themes of resilience, vulnerability and transformation.
The scale and ambition of Before Dawn has been supported by a Creative Australia grant awarded specifically to help realise the exhibition in Orange. That support has allowed Fasher and her studio team at Portland to develop large, complex works in bronze, “bio-crete” and mixed media, many of which will be seen for the first time in this show.
“Before Dawn holds everything that drew me to sculpture; the unrivalled possibility of material exploration, scale and installation generating sensation in its visitors,” said Harrie.
The exhibition is also a chance to see just how far a regional practice can reach. Fasher lives and works in Portland, yet her sculptures have appeared from Bondi and Cottesloe to major regional galleries around the country, and in national touring exhibitions.
The exhibition will be officially launched at 6pm on Friday 28 November at Orange Regional Gallery. An artist talk scheduled for 5.30pm before the opening has already booked out, reflecting strong interest in Fasher’s work and process.
Entry to the opening is free, but RSVPs are essential via Eventbrite (search “Harrie Fasher: Before Dawn – Opening Event”) or follow the link from the Orange Regional Gallery website and social media channels.
Harrie Fasher: Before Dawn
Where: Orange Regional Gallery, 149 Byng Street, Orange
Exhibition dates: 29 November 2025 – 22 February 2026
Opening: 6pm, Friday 28 November (artist talk 5.30pm – fully booked)
Hours: 10am–4pm daily, closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Good Friday.
For more information about the exhibition and associated programs, visit Orange Regional Gallery online or follow the gallery and Harrie Fasher on social media.
Image: Harrie Fasher in her studio at The Foundations, Portland. Photograph: Silversalt Photography 2025, courtesy of Galah Magazine.
