Misan Harriman

In this episode, Misan Harriman, photographer, social activist and Oscar Nominated filmmaker joins Carrie Scott to reflect upon his extraordinary journey, from picking up a camera just seven years ago to becoming one of the most important visual chroniclers of our time. Misan shares how his work documenting the George Floyd protests and global civil rights movements has evolved into a form of resistance, activism, and art. He speaks candidly about imposter syndrome, grief, hope, and the power of photography to bridge divides, challenge systems, and create lasting change. With stories spanning from London to Nigeria, from Grenfell to Palestine, Misan prepares for his first major solo show, "The Purpose of Light" at Hope 93 Gallery in London and opens up about the responsibility he feels to his subjects, to art, and to the world his daughters will inherit.Misan is one of the most widely-shared visual storytellers of this age. He is also the first black person in the 104 year history of British Vogue to shoot the cover of its September issue. In July 2021 he commenced his appointment as Chair of the Southbank Centre, London.His strong reportage style and unique eye for narrative has captured the attention of editors and celebrities around the world. From documenting historic moments in history to photographing high profile celebrities, Misan is a photographer of extraordinary range. His striking images have featured in Vanity Fair, Vogue UK, Harpers Bazaar, People Magazine and The Telegraph among others.Nigeria born, Misan was educated in England where he developed a life-long love for the arts. This led him to picking up a camera and honing his craft. He is completely self-taught, his work is inspired by Gordon Parks, Sally Mann, Eve Arnold, Bruce Davidson, Norman Parkinson and Peter Lindbergh.From Carrie: I first met Misan Harriman at a party and he took my picture and I thought it was great. Within a year, he was shooting the most important images that came out of the George Floyd protests and Black Lives Matter protests and has spent the last five years documenting every civil rights movement, every single protest that's happened, not only here in the UK, but abroad. So it should have come as no surprise to me that sitting with him was going to be a thing, and it was. Misan himself has as much presence as his work does. He knows what he's trying to do, he knows the message that he's trying to capture, and he's doing it perfectly. I mean that, and I know it sounds gushy, but he is. And he's about to have a show at Hope 93, where he will show for the very first time the bulk of this work, the last five years. And I think it's going to be epic.Thanks for listening to this episode of the Seen podcast. Liked what you heard? Get early access to these episodes and a ton of other great art content by becoming a member of Seen at seen.art (https://seen.art).Join our free newsletter and become an art insider: https://bit.ly/Seen-Newsletter-SignupIf you want to connect with us between episodes, follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/watchseenart).