Case Study: Ro Hardaker
Inherently collaborative, Ro works at the blur between discursive, visual and embodied practices; organising with the intention of bringing together a community of queer, trans and non-binary people across performance, noise and contact sports disciplines. Her works emerge as live assemblages entangling the legacies of the body as both subject and object. By redeploying both competitive and collaborative strategies, she produces instances in which language, intimacy and violence are extracted then redistributed as intense affective encounters.
Through her work, Ro addresses the manners in which specific technological, social and material conditions shape, restrict and organise access. Access, in this context, refers both to the ability to enter into and as an outburst of emotion. Hardaker presents nuanced and complex resources for how to bring about haptic care, create new models of inclusivity and provide robust support foundations against increasingly inimical environments.
Hardaker has exhibited and performed work at institutions, venues and festivals internationally, including The Tetley (UK), SPILL Festival of Performance 2014 and 2015 (UK), The Leeds Playhouse (UK), Tate Modern (UK), Queer City Cinema and Performatorium (CA), Uppsala Konst Museum (SE), PAGE: Assembly (FR), Yonder Gallery (UK) and ] Performance s p a c e [ (UK).
Since 2019, Hardaker has been working with professional wrestlers and training in other combat sport disciplines to examine the choreography and mechanisms of violence which trans people are exposed to and alienated by. Along with Leeds based Artist and Wrestler Hannah Lawless, she runs Leeds Queer Wrestling in her East Street Arts temporary studio in Leeds city centre.
Instagram: @ger.hl
Website www.rohardaker.co.uk
Photo Credits:
1. 2021 | Website and Live Performance | Supported by Axis Web Digital Bursary and CLAY (The Centre for Live Art Yorkshire) | Photos by Matt Rogers
2. Leeds Queer Wrestling | 2021 | In photo Hannah, Vee and Ro | photo by Seren Oakley
3. Forgive Yourself of Contemporary Rationality | 2021 | Living Document, 8 scanned A4 pages | Edit of The Junius Pamphlet by Rosa Luxemborg, 1916 | Ro Hardaker with additions by Alicia Radage
4. Headshot photo by Matt Rogers
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1. Ro Hardaker Live Performance
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2. Leeds Queer Wrestling
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3. Forgive Yourself of Contemporary Rationality
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4. Ro Hardaker headshot (Photo by Matt Rogers)
Other things!
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Artist support
Netherlands Sharing: Communities & Resilience
It was lovely to get a glimpse into what our Netherlands-based residency artists have been up to during their stay with us, at their sharing event on Friday. Chiara Tammaro, Tom Dijkstra and Sijas de Groot stayed with us over the past two weeks at Convention House, and over their time discovered Leeds, studios in the city, and local communities.
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News
A Night at The Plaza: Exploring the History of The Plaza
Well, what a night! Thank you to everyone who joined us for the wonderful A Night at The Plaza with Harry Clayton-Wright.
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News
The Do - 30 Years of East Street Arts
A few weeks ago we celebrated 30 years of East Street Arts with a good old knees up. It was also a wonderful way to welcome our new Executive Director Anita Kumari, and say a fond farewell to co-founder Karen Watson.
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News
Artist Mohammad Barrangi’s large-scale murals come to the streets of Leeds
This December, we're working with Leeds-based, Iranian-born illustrator and printmaker Mohammad Barrangi to bring four large-scale paper murals to the streets of Leeds.
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News
Check in at the Art Hostel: The Rainbow Lodge by ViDa
We’re checking in at the Art Hostel, highlighting how incredible the rooms and spaces are. Next, we’re looking at Room 7, ViDa’s peaceful The Rainbow Lodge.
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Artist support
Three Netherlands-based artists join us for two-week residencies
In partnership with LEEDS 2023 and the Netherlands Embassy, this week we welcome three Netherlands-based artists to Leeds for two-week residencies based in our art and tech hub, Convention House.
