Harriet Mena Hill
Harriet Mena Hill is a British artist whose work explores memory, architecture, and social transformation. She first gained recognition in the 1990s for her imagined architectural spaces painted on gesso and found objects, reflecting inner psychological landscapes. These evolved into a geometric visual language, culminating in her Mapping the Grid series. Since 2018, Hill has been working closely with residents of the Aylesbury Estate in South East London – a large social housing complex facing demolition. Her work investigates how memory and identity are tied to place, especially in the context of urban regeneration. This research has led to two major bodies of work:Soft Concrete features large felt portraits of the estate’s buildings, offering a soft and humanised counterpoint to the public image of Aylesbury as a failed project.The Aylesbury Fragments comprises paintings on pieces of salvaged concrete from the demolished block “Chiltern.” These works depict lit windows, hanging laundry, and graffiti – subtle traces of lived experience. Hill’s practice merges social inquiry with poetic visual expression, giving voice to communities and stories that are often erased in the process of urban change.
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