Jana Hartmann
Germany
Biography
Jana Hartmann is a visual artist based in Frankfurt/Main, Germany, who delves into the intricate and ambivalent relationship between humans and nature. Embracing her belief that our complex world can be best comprehended through interdisciplinary exchange, Hartmann's long-term projects are rooted in comprehensive research and extensive dialogue with natural and social scientists.
In her long term projects, Hartmann often weaves together motifs from landscapes, studio models, and scientific experiments to create multifaceted narratives. These she presents in installations as well as in book format, often intertwined with her research material.
Since 2012, her work has been featured in curated solo and group exhibitions both nationally, including at the Alfred Ehrhardt Stiftung Berlin, Museum Giersch Frankfurt, FFF, Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie, and internationally, at Kunst Haus Vienna (AUT), House of Photography Budapest (HUN), Center for Visual Arts Denver (USA), and PHOTO24 Australia.
Her book “MASTERING the ELEMENTS” received various shortlist recognitions, including the 2021 Paris Photo - Aperture Foundation PhotoBook Awards and PHotoEspana.
Seeking to foster discourse between the arts, science and a broader public, Hartmann initiated and organizes the interdisciplinary dialogue series, PERSPEKTIVWECHSEL, in Frankfurt/Main, providing a platform for artists and scientists to engage in discussions and exchange ideas on current issues from different perspectives.
Project
"Mastering the Elements" by Jana Hartmann is a photographic research project that explores the scientific investigation and eventual “conquest” of nature from the beginnings of alchemy to the present day. The series reflects on shifting human perspectives — from alchemists’ holistic quest to understand nature’s inner workings toward modern natural sciences’ reductionist approaches — and the ethical questions that arise from these evolving worldviews.
Hartmann’s images — drawn from laboratory experiments, natural history exhibits, studio models, and landscapes — are paired with references to alchemical writings, scientific texts and philosophical viewpoints, creating a dialogue between visual art, history and science. The work encourages viewers to reconsider how scientific knowledge is shaped by cultural, historical and societal forces, and to reflect on the responsibilities of contemporary research.
