Kirsty Harris
How I Learned To Stop Worrying
Kirsty Harris came into my life over a decade ago when our mutual dear friend Cheryl Lane was dying. Cheryl had moved to London from Manhattan, and as communication became increasingly difficult for her, Kirsty kept me updated on Cheryl’s health.
Like Cheryl, Kirsty is an artist. When I first saw her work, something deep in my cells, in my marrow, in my heart lit up. In part because her paintings are staggeringly beautiful; in part because I recognized a piece of myself within them. Kirsty is compelled to investigate the atomic bomb. She paints it on canvas, on linen, on wood, on paper, on glass. Sometimes it’s massive, sometimes it’s small, sometimes it’s in between. And she uses all means of color. In doing so, she finds that curious, delicate, and uncomfortable intersection between the horror and the beauty of destruction.
My parents grew up in London during WWII and I, in turn, grew up on their war stories. These stories held a similar intersection: the bombs; the lack of sleep; the falling shrapnel; brothers, uncles, fathers, sons at war; rations and ceaseless lines for food. And also the depth of community: the gentle yet trenchant beauty of comforting neighbors who’d lost a son to the war; helping strangers turn the earth and plant potatoes, radishes, and rhubarb in their allotment; sharing tea and biscuits in an iron-roofed bomb shelter. My parents often said the only way through was to help one another.
To me, Kirsty’s work embodies this often confusing dichotomy.
I’m lucky enough to own one of her paintings as well as her album, How I Learned To Stop Worrying, which is a musical account of every nuclear explosion detonated in the world between 1945 and 2019. Every country has its own instrument, every bomb its own note, every month its own second.
Kirsty also works with large projections and creates ceramic tableaux in her studio in East London—referencing advice from pamphlets such Protect and Survive. Solo exhibitions include A Foul and Awesome Display Vane Gallery, Newcastle Upon Tyne, (2019) and How I Learned to Stop Worrying, CFCCA, Manchester (2016). Her work will be included in the upcoming TWO PLUS TWO MAKES FOUR, a group show with renowned artists such as Bill Viola, Gillian Wearing, and Martin Creed & curated by artist Lizz Brady. Her next solo show will be at Studio KIND in Devon, set for summer 2023.
Her work is held in public and private collections in the UK and abroad including The National Atomic Testing Museum, Nevada, USA, and The Peace Museum, Bradford, UK.
Learn more about her vision and follow her on Instagram (and follow the extremely adorable chorkie Fur Dixon!)
Kirsty designed my gorgeous banner and logo. I swoon every time I look at them. The background is pulled from the first painting below, my favorite of all her pieces.
I hope you’re as moved by Kirsty’s work as I.
Oof, the stuff of my nightmares, even though beautiful. A courageous way to face this primal terror that currently is the stuff of daymares...