Interview: Misan Harriman, Inaugural Curator of the Tezos Permanent Art Collection
Harriman's creative journey began when he picked up a camera during the Black Lives Matter protests in London.
400 words, 2 minute read
Misan Harriman, inaugural curator of the Tezos Permanent Art Collection, pictured outside the Southbank Center in London.
Recently, the Tezos Foundation profiled , renowned photographer and activist, and the inaugural curator of the .
Nigerian-born Harriman took up photography in 2020, during the Black Lives Matter protests in London. Since then he has become one of the biggest names in contemporary art in the UK, taking on chairmanship of the Southbank Center in London, and even shooting intimate family photographs for Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Harriman is also a keen collector and advocate of digital art.
You’ll find extracts from Misan Harriman’s interview with the Tezos Foundation below.
Did photography allow you to see the world in a different way?
Yeah, my camera was my sword and shield. It would protect me when I needed to hide behind the viewfinder to see the world in full fidelity. And then it would be my sword because it would fight to show the world what needed to be seen. So this seemingly inanimate object was a singular part of my life that allowed me to see who I was always supposed to be. I’ve always been the same person. It’s just that the camera allowed me to do it in an incredibly powerful way that I never predicted.
How did you become connected with the Tezos ecosystem?
I follow the art, and there is an extraordinary selection of brilliant artists in the Tezos ecosystem. It felt like the degen culture of Ethereum wasn’t really there on Tezos. People were on Tezos to support and celebrate great art, and that’s a really attractive thing to me, I couldn’t ignore that.
How would you describe your main mission with the Permanent Art Collection?
I think in this current bear market, many artists that could become great might give up. Many diverse voices might also give up, just because they’re not being seen. I’m there to make sure that they’re known about, that they are seen, and that their work is celebrated.
Check out the , and click here to read the full interview with Misan Harriman on the Tezos Foundation website.