Since founding The Pansy Project in 2005, Paul Harfleet has been planting pansies at sites of homophobic and transphobic abuse. Each flower is documented, titled after the words of the abuse, and added to this website. Through this quiet yet powerful act, the ongoing project gently confronts hate crime and brings visibility to LGBTQ+ experiences that often go unreported. To date, Harfleet has planted more than 300 pansies around the world—from London to New York and beyond. Learn more here.
LOOK Climate Lab 2026 is a biennial programme exploring how photography can be a relevant and powerful medium for talking about climate change. The show includes a selection of 60 photographs from the last twenty years of The Pansy Project, alongside a large print of The Pansy Project Garden that featured at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in 2010, designed by Paul Harfleet and his brother Tom Harfleet. Pansies; A History of Violence, is an essay written by Paul Harfleet that accompanies the installation, available in the gallery and for download here. – The exhibition features many artists and activists from across Merseyside and beyond discover more here – The exhibition is open from 23 Jan 2026 – 29 Mar 2026. Above install images of the exhibition at Open Eye Gallery. Photo credit: Rob Battersby
Coming soon to a screen near you, The Pansies of Cornwall; a little film by Paul Harfleet, made in association with Arts and Culture Exeter and Cornwall Pride. Follow socials for further updates.
NEW / An essay on Remember Nature, reflections on work made in 2025. The PDF’s linked here offer further reflections on The Pansy Project. Musings on a Floral Tribute by Paul Harfleet explores the context of the Pansy Dress currently on show at Manchester Art Gallery. Antennae is a publication that features an in-depth article on the history of the project by Joey Orr – Page 81-93 – from 2020.
Merchandise & Meaning
NEW! A Blog entitled “The Pansy Project: Merchandise & Meaning” here.
Above (bottom left) a new design exclusively available at Manchester Art Gallery, read all about it here. Merchandise has always been of interest to Paul Harfleet, they consider it to be a way for the wearer to become an ambassador for The Pansy Project, more on the thinking behind each piece here. The small amounts raised from merch, contribute to some of the costs of the work, from pansies to travel.
