harriet richardson, performance artist

Harriet Richardson is a London-based performance artist who bridges the medium of digital and physical expression. Often inviting audience participation, her work navigates intimate themes of love, sex, connection, and addiction. Beyond the personal, she ventures into the political, shedding light on the subject of class structures, conflict, the climate crisis, and the power of conceptual protest.

Harriet’s performance work, rooted in her early activism, strikes a delicate balance between truth and humour, a crossover yet to gain full acceptance in the art world.

Before transitioning into performance art, Harriet worked as a graphic designer at Pentagram design for five years. Her journey into performance art began as a form of protest, and since then, she has also ventured into public talks and borderline stand-up comedy. Harriet believes that the combination of comedy and art is often looked down upon by the art world, yet it forms the core of her practice.

In addition to performance art, Harriet creates typographic prints, a passion that was ignited during the 2019 climate strikes in London. She has been commissioned to create artwork for The New York Times and The Guardian and has been featured in various media outlets, including Vice, It’s Nice That, The Guardian, Overstandard, Coeval, Bow Arts, People of Print, and Grafik Media. She has also performed at numerous venues, including Bow Arts Durham Street, Slade School Of Art, Stopwatch Gallery, Nunnery Gallery, and The Barbican.

Harriet’s inspiration stems from her interpersonal relationships, romantic interactions, and her experiences as a woman. She also draws from her relationship with addiction, love, food, sex, and sadness, as well as the human online experience. It is noteworthy that living without the internet until the age of 13, and later with it, has had a significant impact on her work, relationships, and practice.

Despite her shift to performance art, Harriet continues to practice design, working exclusively with ethical companies since leaving the corporate design world in 2021. At the heart of everything she does, Harriet’s true love is art.