Within, a charcoal drawing by Rob Harris of orangutans gathered closely around their young

Within

Wild Hearts. Orangutans

Charcoal on French cotton paper
160 × 113 cm

Original enquiries

A charcoal drawing by Rob Harris Art of orangutans gathered closely around their young

Belonging is instinctive

Four orangutans gather around their young, their bodies folding inward to create one intimate form.

Nothing has been drawn to create the heart.

It emerges from the relationship between them.

The adults surround the young, while the young remain held within the centre of the group.

Their closeness becomes something physical.

Belonging becomes form.

Close view of Orangutan faces charcoal drawing of orangutans by Rob Harris

Sculptural Presence

Charcoal becomes volume.

Though created entirely through drawing, the work is conceived as a physical form.

The bodies overlap, fold and hold one another, creating a sense of mass and volume across the paper.

Light gives the forms weight.

Shadow gives them depth.

The drawing begins to feel less like an image of four orangutans and more like a single sculptural presence.

Close view of Within, a sculptural charcoal drawing of orangutans by Rob Harris Art

Scale

160 × 113 cm

Wild Hearts originals are created at museum scale so the work can be encountered rather than simply viewed.

At full size, the relationship between the animals becomes physical.

The drawing occupies space.

The scale creates presence.

Within charcoal artwork by Rob Harris shown at museum scale

Look closer

At distance, the work resolves into one quiet form.

Closer, the surface breaks apart into fur, texture, shadow and individual charcoal marks.

The work rewards time.

What first appears simple becomes increasingly intricate the longer it is seen.

Close-up of orangutan fur, texture and charcoal marks in Rob Harris’s Within

The Material.

Charcoal on French cotton paper

Within is drawn on museum-grade French cotton paper selected for its ability to hold fine marks, subtle tonal transitions and the density of charcoal required to build the forms.

The white of the paper remains visible throughout the work.

It is not background.

It is part of the composition.

French cotton paper used for Rob Harris’s Within charcoal drawing

The Original

Within

Unique original
160 × 113 cm
Charcoal on French cotton paper
Signed by Rob Harris & Georgia Harris

Original enquiries

Original Within charcoal artwork by Rob Harris and Georgia Harris

Limited Edition

A strictly limited edition of Within is available for collectors who wish to own the work without acquiring the unique original.

Each edition is produced on museum-grade paper, signed and numbered by both artists, and accompanied by collector documentation.

View editions

Limited edition of Within charcoal artwork by Rob Harris Art

Wild Hearts

Within is one work within an evolving series of fifteen.

Each work explores a different expression of connection, protection and belonging through the physical relationship between animals.

Explore Wild Hearts

Six works by Rob Harris Art together