Documentary Projects Shortlist

Kazakhstan is the largest country in Central Asia and until 1991 it was an important republic within the Soviet Union. This vast area is the birthplace of today’s space travel, and also of the international arms race. In the late 1940s, in utmost secrecy, parts of this steppe were turned into a vast open-air laboratory, which for decades formed the backdrop to the most destructive nuclear tests ever held on the surface of the planet. No care or consideration was given to the population.

This body of work documents both the immense, ravaged landscape and the people who still live among the ruins and have to deal with their deadly history. Some of them come together to scour the land for old pipes and cables, or to find steel in old military installations, their lives marked by poverty and alcoholism.

Eddo Hartmann, born in The Hague in 1973, studied at the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague. He is a Dutch photographer with a career that has spanned over 25 years. Hartmann is renowned for capturing striking and thought-provoking images of architecture and urban spaces. Initially, he started his career as a commercial and editorial photographer but later shifted towards long-term documentary projects. One of his most notable works is "Setting The Stage | North Korea," which is a series that documents the intricately designed communist capital of Pyongyang.

In addition to his photographic work, Hartmann is also a lecturer in The Hague, where he teaches technical skills and visual grammar. He is committed to capturing the impact of human activity on the planet and its landscapes. Hartmann's work has been widely exhibited and published in newspapers and magazines around the world, and can be found in private and public collections. Currently based in Amsterdam, where he continues to work as a freelance photographer.