Simon Roffey-Harris

Dr Simon Roffey-Harris is a Senior Lecturer and Course Leader for BA (Hons) Fine Art at the University of Wolverhampton, within the Faculty of Arts, Business, and Social Sciences. His academic and artistic practice is grounded in a philosophical engagement with painting, the cinematic, and the concept of the virtual, particularly through the lens of Gilles Deleuze.

Research Interests:

• Painting and cinematic temporality
• Deleuzean philosophy in visual art
• Abstraction and figuration
• Pictorial and virtual space
• Slowness and duration in artistic practice
• Post-digital representation and the photographic darkroom as an abstracted event

His research investigates how the painted surface can embody temporal and virtual dimensions akin to celluloid and cinematic experience. He explores the darkroom as a nexus between photography, painting, and the virtual, advancing a post-digital mode of visual semblance. His recent publications and exhibitions reflect a sustained commitment to interdisciplinary, practice-led inquiry.

Recent Articles and Exhibitions Trends: His work spans academic writing and public exhibitions, often merging theoretical depth with material experimentation. Key themes include the interplay of technology and tradition in printmaking, philosophical underpinnings of visual abstraction, and pedagogical innovation in art education. His 2024 participation in Ikon Gallery’s Start the Press! exemplifies his engagement with live, performative art practices.

Scientific Awards:

• HEA Fellowship

Supervision and Grants: He supervises multiple postgraduate research students in practice-based and interdisciplinary arts, with projects exploring impermanence, the present moment, and painting in the Anthropocene. He led the ERAS research grant (2019–2020) at the University of Wolverhampton, supporting his ongoing studio-based inquiry.

Professional and Teaching Activities: Active in both curriculum leadership and ethical governance, he serves on the university’s Ethics Committee and has contributed to developing pedagogical frameworks for art practice. His teaching emphasizes critical theory, material experimentation, and philosophical engagement in fine art education.