David Hartt

David Hartt’s work delves into the social, cultural, and economic complexities of his subjects. For Hartt, "place" serves as a lens through which to explore community, narrative, ideologies, and the intersection of private and public life. His photographs, videos, sculptures, and installations provide a nuanced and insightful portrayal of contemporary post-industrial, post-communist, and late-capitalist societies.

Biography of David Hartt

David Hartt, born in 1967 in Montréal, Canada, completed his studies at the University of Ottawa and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He was received the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award in 2011 and honored as a United States Artists Cruz Fellow in 2012.

The artist travels widely to advance his research-based work. In 2015, he was featured in Ocean of Images: New Photography 2015 at the Museum of Modern Art and was awarded a Foundation for Contemporary Art Grant. He also participated in the Rauschenberg Foundation’s residency program in 2016.

In 2019, Hartt was honored by the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden at their fifth gala event, where fellow artist Christopher Williams recognized Hartt as a significant influence on his own practice. 

In 2021, the Philadelphia Museum of Art marked its reopening after a $228 million renovation with the exhibition New Grit: Art & Philly Now, featuring Hartt's work. Additionally, he was selected as a juror for the Harvard Graduate School of Design’s Wheelwright Prize in the same year.

Throughout his career, David Hartt has embarked on numerous artistic projects that have gained recognition and critical acclaim. His work often involves in-depth research, collaboration, and immersive experiences for viewers. 

David Hartt's Famous Artworks

"Stray Light" (2011)

One of the artist's notable projects "Stray Light", documented the iconic Johnson Publishing Company headquarters in Chicago, which housed the historic Ebony and Jet magazines. Hartt's work reflects on the confusion of the private and the public, as well as on the ideologies of the Johnson firm, and assesses their impact on modern society.

"Interval" (2014-2016)

Another notable Hartt project is "Interval". This work included photos and videos that explored the sociopolitical and economic reality. In David Hartt's art practice, the boundaries between photographs and videos blur, which leads to a deliberate intermingling of two distinct places. This intentional confusion serves as a thought-provoking exercise, inviting viewers to question and evaluate the significance and meaning of the place.

Series of interventions at Habitat Puerto Rico

After Hurricane Maria in 2017, the artist created a series of interventions at Habitat Puerto Rico, a housing development originally designed by Moshe Safdie and abandoned by the Puerto Rican government in the 1970s. By integrating videos, sculptures, sound, photographs, and organic materials, Hartt explored the site as it evolved, rather than as the development it was initially intended to be.