Stills Gallery in Edinburgh has appointed Ben Harman as its new director. Harman, who is currently Curator of Contemporary Art at Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA), will take up the role early next year. He replaces Deirdre McKenna.
Harman said: “Since its foundation in 1977, Stills has become a vital centre for photography in Scotland. I am greatly looking forward to leading the Stills team in the development of a vision for the next phase of the organisation. I passionately believe in photography’s increasingly important role in culture and society.”
Harman’s role at GOMA has seen him working with a wide range of artists including Jim Lambie (2008), Alasdair Gray (2011), Jo Spence (2008) and Barbara Kruger (2005). He has also curated group shows such as LIVING WITH WAR: Artists on war and conflict (2013) and Tales of the City: Art Fund International and the GoMA collection (2012).
Harman was lead curator on the Art Fund International Partnership between GoMA and The Common Guild, which over a five-year period from 2007 collected international contemporary art for the City of Glasgow. Purchases included photography, film and video by artists including Thomas Demand, Peter Hujar, Wolfgang Tillmans, Omer Fast, Fischli & Weiss and Fiona Tan.
Stills’ Chair, Ben Spencer, said: “Ben’s broad knowledge of photography and artist film, both in Scotland and internationally, his network across the contemporary visual arts sector and many years experience of working at the Gallery of Modern Art – Scotland’s most visited modern art gallery – will be a huge asset to the organisation. Ben’s appointment signals the start of a new, exciting phase for Stills.”
