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The

Artist

Lives and Works in
Hamburg
Daniel Chatard is a German-French documentary photographer and visual researcher. He investigates themes revolving around power structures, collective identity, and trauma. Looking at landscapes as vessels of collective experiences and memories, he tells human stories in their environmental context. Daniel graduated in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hanover, and in Photography & Society at the Royal Academy of Arts The Hague. He lives in Hamburg and works as a freelance photojournalist with media outlets such as Die ZEIT, Der Spiegel, and Bloomberg. Daniel describes his approach as involved documentary, making his own relations to his subjects part of the work and using collaboration to create new knowledge. His long-term project Niemandsland was awarded at the World Press Photo Award and published by the Eriskay Connection in 2024.
Projects
2024

Niemandsland

In Niemandsland, Daniel Chatard (DE) investigates the impact of brown coal extraction in the German Rhineland, where energy giant RWE operates some of Europe’s largest open-cast lignite mines, in particular Hambach and Garzweiler. Not only are these mines the biggest source of CO2 emissions on the continent, they have also dramatically altered the landscape, swallowing up fields, forests, and entire villages. The steadily expanding voids caused a sense of powerlessness among those affected as their homes and land were sacrificed to coal mining. Many residents grew up knowing that their villages would one day disappear, which is difficult to reconcile with Germany’s professed commitment to renewable energy. A new generation of resistance began in 2012, when environmental activists occupied Hambach Forest to stop its destruction. The conflict escalated in 2018 during the forced clearing of the forest, but protests managed to save some of it. This success sparked a collaboration between villagers and activists that led to the preservation of five threatened villages. However, many residents had already been resettled and the sixth village, Lützerath, was demolished, marking a grim end to the conflict. Born out of a deep concern for climate change and frustration with short-term economic priorities, Chatard sought to document the conflict between environmental, public, and economic interests as Germany transitions away from coal. Chatard is not a distant observer, but actively engages with the people and places affected, allowing a deeper understanding of the emotional and physical toll of the mining operations. By sharing early versions of the work with the villagers and activists, the project incorporates their perspectives, enriching the story with their experience of the crisis. In documenting the end of coal mining in this region, Niemandsland tells a story of global significance: a reminder of the costs of energy production and the enduring human spirit in the face of overwhelming odds.
Daniel Chatard
was nominated by
Triennial of Photography | Deichtorhallen
in
2022
Show all projects
Each year every member of the FUTURES European Photography Platform nominates a set of artists and projects to become part of the FUTURES network.

Daniel Chatard deals with the power dynamics and effects of lignite extraction in the Rhineland, examining the decades-long influence that energy company RWE has had on villages threatened by these industries.

Natalia Kepesz moved to Germany from Poland twenty years ago. She photographed Polish military camps for children, questioning why people in her country of birth love to play war and romanticise it so much in the process.

Josh Kern uses photography to tell stories that are full of drama, looking for hidden hooks to give his work a starting point. His selected project is about the positive relationship he shares with his girlfriend Asli – a topic he chose when wondering if so much positivity is healthy.

Angelina Vernetti sees her photo project EVERY BODY as a utopian narrative of realisable ideals of beauty, whilst SMILE EFFEKT examines the socio-cultural status of the birth control pill in Germany.

Tamara Eckhardt’s projects deal mainly with marginalised social groups – with a particular focus on documenting adolescence. She strives to shed light on her protagonists, whom she follows for months in the making of a project.