Misan Harriman

thumb|Misan Harriman at SXSW London 2026 Misan Harriman (born 15 December 1977) is a Nigerian-born British photographer, entrepreneur and social activist. As well as being one of the most widely-shared photographers of the Black Lives Matter movement, Harriman is the first Black man to shoot a cover of British Vogue. In July 2021, Harriman commenced his appointment as Chair of the board of trustees for Southbank Centre, London. In October 2025, he was named as one of the UK's most influential black people in the 2026 Powerlist. Quotes Hope lives in a place where you allow the world to hurt you enough to know that you are stronger than the worst it can offer. I once said that to be an artist is to watch the sun rise and set with the devil next to you. To really be an artist, you have to allow what you see to haunt you. You have to let the great joy and beauty of the world be seen, but also the rage, the injustice of it all. I don’t have any more tears after seeing a man that looked like me be murdered by the police. I’ve somehow managed to tiptoe around the minefield of being a visible voice and a Black voice in a Britain that usually allows a very specific type of noise to come out of the mouths of someone with the same hue as me. Somehow I’ve been quite allowed and able to function in a society that doesn’t usually accept that. I think that all artistic voices right now, especially those who are not going to [remain silent], need to be protected and amplified by the communities that believe that universal human rights matter. I want people who are scared and angry to look at someone that looks differently to them and see a human being. What I can do is work on people who might listen to me or engage with my art, and recognise that we can be better. Photography, like protest, is about bearing witness. To feel, in itself, is to resist. It is easy not to care when a crisis does not touch your doorstep. This is the quiet power of photography. It builds bridges between strangers, between nations, and between struggles. When people are confronted with truth, they embark on their own process of recognition. No matter how much commercial success I achieved, I knew that would never be enough. I have chosen to make my sword and shield my lens and my voice. I believe the incredible mix of art voices that Southbank Centre offers has never been more important, and has huge potential as we develop a modern, post-lockdown cultural institution and explore new ways to innovate and bring arts to our communities. External links Category:Photographers from England Category:Photographers from Nigeria Category:Activists from England Category:Living people Category:1977 births Category:Social justice activists