Rachael Harlow
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Always with artists.
Not always in galleries.

Collaborative, cross-disciplinary curator, working with artists and communities — in and outside the gallery.

Always with artists.
Not always in galleries.

Open to curatorial projects, commissions and conversations.

Email
rachaeleharlow@gmail.com

Selected Projects

    Recently & Now

    Raven Row, London

    Exhibitions Manager. Producing exhibitions and public programmes at the non-profit gallery in Spitalfields.

    South London Gallery, 2017—2024

    Projects Curator, led exhibitions, events, the SLG Residency and long-term public commission programme, Open Plan.

    Exhibitions

    • 2025
      Trellis 5: A Place of Our Making
      Curator
      ↗
    • 2023
      Pope.L: Hospital
      Co-Curator with Margot Heller
      ↗
    • 2023
      Michelle Williams Gamaker: Our Mountains Are Painted on Glass
      Curator
    • 2023
      John Costi: Found Football Difficult
      Curator
    • 2022
      Shamica Ruddock: Deciphering a Broken Syntax
      Curator
    • 2021
      Heart n Soul: The House of Do Your Own Thing
      Curator
    • 2021
      Ufuoma Essi: From Where We Land
      Curator
    • 2020
      Sophie Cundale: The Near Room
      Curator
    • 2020
      Abbas Zahedi: How to Make a How from a Why?
      Curator

    Public Commissions

    • —
      The Orozco Garden
      Producer
      ↗
    • —
      Nooma Projects: Flying the Pelican
    • —
      Seyi Adelekun: Diaspora Garden
    • —
      Noguchi Sculpture for Danh Vo
      Producer
    • —
      Basim Magdy: PINGPINPOOLPONG, or How I Learned to Laugh at Failure
    • —
      Victoria-Idongesit Udondian: Àdápé
    • —
      Morag Myerscough: The Club Under My House

    Publications

    • —
      The Orozco Garden
      Editor
      ↗
    • —
      Ufuoma Essi: From Where We Land
      Producer
      ↗
    • —
      Open Plan: Contemporary Art in Communities
      Contributor
      ↗
    • —
      Laurie Robbins: 'Free Trade or Else*'
      Producer
      ↗
    • —
      Abbzah & Saint Abdullah: In This Space We Leave
      ↗
    • —
      Shamica Ruddock: Deciphering a Broken Syntax
    ← Back to projects
    03 — About

    Creating the conditions for artists to take risks and make work that matters.

    My work spans curation, exhibition-making, artist development, public commissioning and live programming. I have managed long-term residency programmes, led complex cross-disciplinary commissions, built community partnerships from the ground up and taken work on tour across the UK. I take a holistic, care-focused approach to working with artists: one that prioritises listening, sets clear boundaries, and creates genuine space for experimentation.

    Recent and current projects include exhibitions and performance management at Raven Row; and curatorial direction of Trellis 5 at UCL East, a multi-stage commissioning programme connecting artists, researchers and east London communities. Before this, I spent over a decade at the South London Gallery, where my work ranged from international collaborations to sustained community engagement.

    Rachael Harlow
    Positions
    • 2024 —Exhibitions ManagerRaven Row, London
    • 2018—23Projects CuratorSouth London Gallery
    • 2021Acting Head of ProgrammeSouth London Gallery
    • 2016—18Assistant CuratorSouth London Gallery
    • 2013—16Programme AssistantSouth London Gallery
    Independent Projects
    • 2020 —Chair of the BoardSchool_SOS
    • 2016—17Contributor & OrganiserThe Southern Summer School
    Education
    • 2011BA Fine Art and History of Art — First Class Honours (1:1)Goldsmiths University
    • 2018Clore Emerging Leaders ProgrammeClore Leadership
    © Rachael Harlow, 2026
    rachaeleharlow@gmail.com