Photographer and activist Misan Harriman has said on social media that he will leave his post as director of London’s Southbank Centre after his current contract expires in the fall. The revelation comes after considerable criticism leveled at him over some social media posts, which he alludes to in the video, saying it came after his decision was already made.
“It’s semi-public knowledge that my term is coming to an end anyway, my actual term at Southbank, my second term,” said Harriman. “I had decided way before this madness that I was going to do two terms. It takes a long time to find whoever the next chair will be, and that process will begin at some point. I’ll update you more on dates and timelines probably in autumn.”
Southbank confirmed to the Guardian Wednesday that Harriman had made the decision to depart in January.
In the video, Harriman added, “The boards have been amazing and the team has been amazing. Everyone’s been working hard, and it’s a sacred 11 acres that I’m still very proud to be chair of.”
Harriman had been under scrutiny since April, for his comments on social media after two Jewish men were attacked in London. He asserted that the same assailant’s attack on a Muslim victim had received less media attention. Critics said his comments minimized the antisemitic nature of the attack. Then, in May, Harriman posted a video on Instagram in response to the right-wing Reform Party’s win in UK elections; in the video, he cites a conversation between writers Susan Sontag and Kurt Vonnegut about the Holocaust and the nature of cruelty, leading some to accuse him of comparing the Reformers to the Nazi party. He denied that he was making that analogy.
Thousands wrote to British media watchdog Ipso about news coverage of Harriman, and artists including Peter Doig and Tracey Emin signed a letter in support of him.
Harriman, who built up a large following with his photographs of Black Lives Matter protests, told the Guardian in May, “We have reached the point where truth itself is being crushed by the very institutions that are supposed to uphold it. I will never whisper about the oppressed. I stand with truth; I stand by my right to use my voice to help others.”
