Born in Montréal in 1967, David Hartt lives and works in Philadelphia, where he is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Fine Arts at the Weitzman School of Design, University of Pennsylvania.
Hartt creates work that unpacks the social, cultural, and economic complexities of his various subjects. He explores how historic ideas and ideals persist or transform over time.
He has an M.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a B.F.A. from the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Ottawa. He has taught at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Ox-Bow School of Art, and the Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts, Bard College, New York.
His exhibition Stray Light, originating with the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, traveled to the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Henry Art Gallery, and the Carnegie Museum of Art. A catalog for Stray Light was published by the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago and was supported by a grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts.
Recently Hartt has had solo exhibitions at The Art Institute of Chicago, LAXART, Los Angeles, and Or Gallery, Vancouver. His work has been included in recent group exhibitions including Ocean of Images: New Photography 2015 at The Museum of Modern Art; Now? Now!: 2015 Biennial of the Americas at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver; America Is Hard to See at the Whitney Museum of American Art; Shine a light/Surgir de l’ombre: Canadian Biennial at the National Gallery of Canada; AIMA/AGO Photography Prize Exhibition at The Art Gallery of Ontario; and Speaking of People: Ebony, Jet and Contemporary Art at The Studio Museum in Harlem.
Zoom link to attend: https://otis.zoom.us/j/4866446744
Read "DAVID HARTT ON ARCHITECTURE & BLACK AUTHORSHIP" in this feature from SSense.
David Hartt's website.
Image: The Histories (Crépuscule), 2021 (Single-channel 4K video, 7:22 minutes, continuous loop, colour, sound; Monitor: 49 1/4 by 86 1/2 by 3 3/4 inches, media player, DAC, cables, custom stand, FM radio transmitter, National Panasonic RF-9000 shortwave radio 20.6 by 14.3 by 8.2 inches; Tapestry: 18% Polyester, 42% Cotton, 22% Wool, 10% Acrylic, 8% KGem (Cotton Mercurisé), woven size 108 by 234 inches; Installed in New Grit: Art & Philly Now, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, May 7—August 22, 2021; Score: Composed and performed by Stefan Betke/Pole)
