KATJA LIEBMANN
b.1965 / Halle an der Saale, Germany
lives and works in Oldenburg and Berlin
Katja Liebmann’s photographic works reflect the history of the medium and its original simple practices. The elementary means are used to open up new possibilities. Reality appears filtered, in a different perspective or transferred into its own image quality – through the exposure process, the color values, through cross-fading, working in sequences. Part of the depictions of nature or the cityscapes are the winter landscapes.
The type of implementation, the exposure of large negatives on the handmade papers, the blue colour gives the motifs, which seem to be taken casually, their own expressive value. This includes the reminiscence of romantic landscape painting; it also lifts the images to another, more abstract level and creates distance. In this way, these works lead back to the core of reality and to an immediate vision by creating a new, specific image quality.
Katja Liebmann studied art in Nuremberg and Berlin until 1995. In 1995 she received a DAAD scholarship for London, where she studied at the Royal College of Art and from 1997 to 1998 she taught at the State University of New York, followed by teaching at the London College of Printing. 1998 Purchase of the group of works „Gotham City“ by the Saatchi Collection London, in the same year nomination for the Citibank Photography Prize, London. 2000 Scholarship of the Hasselblad Foundation Gothenburg, Sweden with exhibition. The following year she exhibited at the Goethe-Institut in London. Since 2003 lecturer in artistic printmaking at the University of Oldenburg
EDUCATION
1997 Royal College of Art, London, MA Printmaking
1995 Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weissensee, MA Painting & Printmaking
Academy of Fine Arts, Nuremberg
EXHIBITIONS
2025 24/10 – 19/12 2025 Langsamkeit (+ Catalogue), Gallery Dittmar, Berlin – (solo)
2025 17/07 – 27/09 2025 Landscape & Alchemy, Duo Show featuring Katja Liebmann and Nadezda Nikolova, Gallery HackelBury Fine Art, London
2025 Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition, Gallery IV, curated by Christopher Le Brun, Work: „Dialogue through Glass“, Cyanotype, 2024, 40×50 cm
2024 Spuren verwischen / Obscure Traces, Gallery J. J. Heckenhauer, Munich, (solo)
2024 ART Fair Munich Highlights at Munich Residenz
2024 Kunst Heute / in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Studio 18279 – Rothspalk
2024 BLUES – Katja Liebmann at the State Museum Oldenburg, (Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kultur, Schloss, Oldenburg), April – July 2024, (duo)
2024 ART KARLSRUHE / Gallery – J. J. Heckenhauer, Munich
2023 ART MIAMI / HackelBury Fine Art, London
2023 Blaues in Rothspalk“ – KUNST HEUTE in MV, Studio 18279 – Rothspalk / (solo)
2023 PHOTOFAIRS New York – HackelBury Fine Art, London
2023 Javits Centre, New York
2023 „Die Erfahrung der Landschaft“, Galerie Dittmar, Berlin, Georg Baselitz · Karl Bohrmann ·
Mona Breede · Enrico Della Torre · Marcel Gähler · Anna Gille · Sharka Hyland · Katja Liebmann · Arnulf Rainer
2022 Dust in the Wind, HackelBury Fine Art, London, (solo)
2021 Paris Photo
2021 HackelBury Fine Art, London
2021 Grand Palais Ephémère, Paris
2021 Waiting II, HackelBury Fine Art, London, Group Exhibition
2021 Cities and Landscapes in Motion – Retrospektiv II, Galerie Dittmar, Berlin, (solo)
2021 Photo London Digital / HackelBury Fine Art, London
2021 „Waiting“, HackelBury Fine Art, London, Group Exhibition
2020 Berlin. London. NewYork – Retrospective 1, Gallery Dittmar, Berlin (solo)
2019 „Twenty One“, HackelBury Fine Art, London
2019 „Early Work”, HackelBury Fine Art, London (solo)
2019 PARIS PHOTO 2019
2019 PHOTO LONDON 2019
2018 Twenty, HackelBury Fine Art, London
2017 “Beds and Mashinery”, Gallery Berlinicke, Wildeshausen (solo)
2015 „The 22th Annual Artshow“, Westwerk, Leipzig
2015 Solid Sleep, Galerie Lake, Oldenburg (solo)
2014 „Natur“, Galerie Dittmar, Berlin (solo)
2014 A gram of Light, (g),curated by Christoph Schaden Museum for Industrial Culture, Nuremberg
2013 „Green Art 2“, Museum for Art and Art History, Oldenburg
2012 „New aquisitions“, Artothek, Oldenburg
2012 „Blaue Blätter“, Galerie Dittmar, Berlin (solo)
2010 “Sehnsuchtsorte II, “Bremer Landesmuseum / Pelzerhäuser Emden
2010 “Journey / Houses “, Gallery Herold, Bremen, (solo)
2010 “Destination Wilhelmshaven”, Art Gallery Wilhelmshaven
2010 “Reverse”, Omsk Museum of Visual Arts, (with Goethe-Institute Novosibirsk)
2010 “Journey / Houses” , HackelBury Fine Art, London, (solo)
2009 “German Landscapes”, Gallery Dittmar, Berlin, (solo)
2009 “German Landscapes” Art Society Vechta
2009 “Bright Spots” – current positions /aesthetic experiments”, Museum for Art and Art History, Oldenburg
2009 The space between man and camera Goethe Institute Ankara, Artist talk and Exhibition, (solo)
2009 “Genius loci”, Novosibirsk State Art Museum, VI. Novosibirsk Graphic Art Biennial
2008 “Crossroads. Nomadic knowledge and art strategies”, Bishkek Art Center, Kirgisien, (Sp. by IFA and Goethe Institute)
2008 “Truth is what connects us”, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, (Karl Jaspers Year 2008), (solo)
2006 “ECHT”, (Oldenburger Kunstverein), Art Society Oldenburg, work from 1993-2006, (solo)
2005 “London – Bilder”, Gallery Dittmar, Berlin
2002 “Landscapes, Part II” , Charles Saatchi Gallery, London
2002 “100% Photography” , HackelBury Fine Art, London
2002 “St. James Group Photography Prize 2002”, Flowers East, London
2001 “Berlin 328”, HackelBury Fine Art, London, (solo)
2001 “Berlin Ornaments”, Goethe Institute, London, (solo)
2000 “Modern Times III”, Hasselblad Centre, Goeteborg
2000 Sotheby’s, London, Contemporary Art Exhibition 2000
1999 “Inspirit” , Maidstone Museum & Art Gallery
1999 “Londinia”, Photographers Gallery, London
1999 “Eyes of March”, The Lux Center, London, LEA-Gallery
1998 ,“Urban Landscapes”, Victoria Miro Gallery, London
1998 The Photographers’ Gallery, London, Citibank Photography Prize, (today: “Deutsche Börse Photography Prize”)
with Andreas Gursky, Hiroshi Sugimoto and Thomas Demand
1997 “The John Kobal Photographic Portrait Award”, National Portrait Gallery, London
1997 “Gloves Off!“, Shoreditch Town Hall, London
1996 “Liquid”, David Hockney Gallery, Royal College of Art, London
1996 “Palimpsest Berlin”, Centre for Contemporary Arts, Rouen
1996 “Palimpsest Berlin”, Cityhall, 6 th arrondissement, Paris
AWARDS / SCHOLARSHIPS
2002 Shortlisted for “St. James Group Photography Prize”
2001 “Scholarship of the Hasselblad Foundation”, Goeteborg, Sweden
1998 Shortlisted for the “Citibank Photography Prize”, London, (“Deutsche Börse Photography Prize”), London
1997 “Deloitte & Touche Prize for Excellence”, R.C.A, London,
1997 “John Purcell Paper Prize”, London
1996 “Renaissance Art Award”, Aylesbury / London
1995 “DAAD Scholarship” for London
COLLECTIONS
The graphic Collection of the Royal College of Art, London
The Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Charles Saatchi Collection, London
The Rubell Collection Miami
LzO Art Collection, (Landessparkasse zu Oldenburg)
Collection of the Bishkek Art Centre, Kyrgyzstan
The Omsk Museum of Visual Arts, among others
TEACHING / ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS
Lecturer in / early photographic processes and printmaking at Carl von Ossietzky University, Oldenburg
Part time teaching visits have included
London College of Communication
Royal College of Art, London
Camberwell College of Art, London
Kent Institute of Art & Design, Kent
Haccetepe University, Ankara
ARTIST TALKS
2025 Artist Talk Diane Smyth (British Journal of Photography) and Katja Liebmann, Landscape & Alchemy, HackelBury Fine Art, London
2022 Q&A between HackelBury Fine Art and Katja Liebmann, Exhibition “Dust in the Wind”
2019 Interview by Tracy Calder: “Remembrance of Things Past” at Black & White Photography Magazine Nr.236
2019 Interview by Daniel Pateman: “Katja Liebmann – Early Work” at Photomonitor Magazine
2019 Artist Talk Nigel Warburton – Katja Liebmann, Opening Preview of “Early Work” at HackelBury Fine Art
2010 Interview by Alisa Mc Whinnie: “Into the Blue”, Black & White Photography Magazine
2009 Goethe Institute Ankara, “The space between man and camera”, Artist talk and solo exhibition at the Goethe Institute Gallery, Ankara
2009 Artist lecture and workshop at Hacettepe-University, Ankara
TEXTS / REVIEWS
2025 Brian Dillon, Essay for Catalogue, „Katja Liebmann, Work 1994 – 2024“, Edition Dittmar
2025 Rolf Sachsse Text for Catalogue, „Katja Liebmann, Work 1994 – 2024“, Edition Dittmar
2025 Review / Musee Magazine 17/7/25, Anna Rose Goldwitz, Exhibition / Landscape & Alchemy, Gallery HackelBury Fine Art, London
2025 Review / Impulse Magazine 22/7/25, Nico Kos Earle, Exhibition / Landscape & Alchemy, Gallery HackelBury Fine Art, London
2021 Tracy Calder, “Cyanotypes as memories” , Artdoc Magazine, 12/2021, The article features the new series ‚Dust in The Wind‘
2012 Peter Dittmar / Text for Private View “Natur”, new Photographic work, Gallery Dittmar
2012 Isolde Loock / Text for Exhibition „Die Fahrt/Häuser“, Gallery Herold, Bremen
2006 Jürgen Weichardt, Text for Catalogue „Deutsche Landschaften” / “German Landscapes” transl. by Dan Loganathan, ISBN: 3-9806903-7-7, published by Galerie Dittmar, Berlin
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
2025 „Landscapes/Cityscapes“, Catalogue, Edition Dittmar, Berlin
2024 Publication for „BLUES – Katja Liebmann at the State Museum Oldenburg“, Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kultur, Schloss, Oldenburg)
2014 „A Gram of Light“, Catalogue, Museum for Industrial Culture, Nuremberg
2009 „Bright spots“ / „Lichtblicke“, Catalogue, Museum for Art and Art history, Oldenburg
2009 „German Landscapes“, Catalogue, Edition Dittmar, Berlin
2010 „Destination Wilhelmshaven“, Catalogue, Kunsthalle Wilhelmshaven
2001 „I am a Camera“, Catalogue, The Saatchi Gallery, publ. by Booth-Clibborn Editions
1999 „Modern Times III“, Catalogue, Hasselblad Centre, Göteborg
1998 „The New Neurotic Realism“, Catalogue, The Saatchi Gallery, London
1997 „The Citibank Photography Prize“ / „Deutsche Börse Photography Prize“
1997 Catalogue, The Photographers Gallery, London