The discussion will explore Haroon’s practice at the intersection of sound, light, and electrical systems, examining how interference, rhythm, and signal shape perception and meaning. Reflecting on works commissioned for the exhibition, the conversation will consider how Haroon translates electrical energy into immersive compositions that traverse scientific inquiry and cultural and spiritual frameworks.
Haroon Mirza (b. 1977) lives and works in London, UK. Mirza’s disciplinary practice tests the interplay and friction between sound, light and electric current. He devises sculptures, performances and immersive installations that pry on one’s awareness of their own experience. An advocate of interference, he creates situations that purposefully cross wires. He describes his role as a composer, manipulating his primary medium, electricity, a live, invisible and volatile natural phenomenon. Preoccupied with waves, from those in the ocean to neural oscillations, from soundwaves to the electromagnetic spectrum, Mirza asks us to reconsider perception and draws into question the categorisation of cultural forms, theological tropes and truth in relation to belief.
Haroon holds a BA in Painting from Winchester School of Art, an MA in Design Critical Practice and Theory from Goldsmiths College (2006) and an MA in Fine Art from Chelsea College of Art and Design (2007). He was awarded several prizes including the Northern Art Prize in 2011, the DAIWA Foundation Art Prize in 2012, the Zurich Art Prize in 2013, the Nam June Paik Art Center Prize in 2014, and the Calder Art Prize in 2015.
Jessica Cerasi is an independent curator, and Head of Programme at the Bagri Foundation. She was co-curator of the National Pavilion of Saudi Arabia at the Venice Biennale in 2024, and Associate Curator for the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi project at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation from 2020-2024. Previously held curatorial roles include at the UK Government Art Collection, the Hayward Gallery, the 2019 Venice Biennale, and the 2016 Biennale of Sydney.
With a strong interest in fostering contemporary art appreciation among new audiences, she is author of Who’s Afraid of Contemporary Art? (2017, with Kyung An) and Contemporary Art Decoded (2021). She is curator of the forthcoming Shezad Dawood retrospective, Skin of Dreams, set to open at the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation in March 2026.
*Portrait Image Credit:
Haroon’s Image: David Bebber
Jessica’s Image: Tash Nellist