Hester Reeve

Hester Reeve is Reader in Fine Art at Sheffield Hallam University's Department of Art and Design within the College of Social Sciences and Arts. She serves as Course Leader for MART Fine Art & Creative Art Practice and Module Leader for BA Art Context 2. Reeve is affiliated with the Art Design and Media Research Centre and the Culture and Creativity Research Institute. Her work bridges artistic practice with philosophical inquiry through David Bohm's Dialogue methodology, suffragette history, and social sculpture.

Reeve's research explores art as philosophical agency invested in radical thinking, operating through her conceptual persona 'HRH.the.' She investigates the relationship between critical thinking and human agency, particularly through the figure of 'the artist' broadly conceived. Her practice spans live art, drawing, sculpture, writing, lens-based media and David Bohm's Dialogue. Key research areas include the relationship between art and philosophy, the suffragette as militant artist, the artist as experimental site of radical subjectivity, and drawing's relationship to performed event.

Reeve collaborates extensively with Olivia Plender under 'The Emily Davison Lodge' and is a member of the international Performance Philosophy research group. Her public works have been staged at Halle G, Tanzquartier Vienna, Tate Britain, and Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Major projects include Philosophy on Stage 4, Sculptural Substance, and Ymedaca, with funding from Arts Council England for 'Ymedaca' and 'Live Notation – Extending Matters of Performance.'

As an educator, Reeve leads Dialogue Groups at Sheffield Hallam University and has developed innovative platforms like 'The 24 Hour Origin of the Work of Art Lecture.' She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and External Examiner for West Dean College's PG Programme in Visual Arts. Her research-informed teaching emphasizes learning through action-performance and philosophical engagement with artistic practice.

Reeve supervises multiple postgraduate students across diverse research areas including feminist methodologies, social haunting, embodied practices, and immersive digital technologies. Her collaborative approach extends to working with institutions and artists internationally, positioning her at the intersection of contemporary art, philosophy, and social engagement.