From my archive: Haroon Mirza: Studio Portrait

As Artsy is a place for discovering art, I thought I'd start using the space I'm given here to re-discover films from my archive. 

Haroon Mirza is a Sheffield and London-based artist who has been on a rapid ascendent for the past few years. In 2011 he won the Venice Biennale's Silver Lion, and he is currently showing in an exhibition at Tate Modern. He is represented by Lisson Gallery, London.

This film, a study of the artist (and his assistants) in his studio, was filmed towards the end of 2011. This was soon after he'd moved in. There are lots of boxes and he's just getting used to the area. In the centre of the space a large, noisy work titled A Sleek Dry Yell 2008 plays out its visceral, semi-aggressive cycle. 

I like this film because the studio takes centre stage: the boxes, electrical components, musical instruments and macbook pros.  I didn't film Haroon talking, but recorded his voice instead. An anonymous unit in an East London industrial estate becomes as much of a performer as its inhabitants.