Jacob Bartmann is a visual artist who lives and works in Vienna. His work focuses on invisibilities and the relationships with — and between — material actors. His craft apprenticeship in ceramics, which preceded his art studies, has formed a central basis for his work since 2010. Clay - often understood as representative of the earth or the planet as a whole - plays an important role in this. As a material that has been “hidden” for millions of years, clay becomes a medium for him to speak about the invisible. The invisible can be marginalized forms of labour or nature/culture processes. By thematizing clay, Bartmann emphasizes a relationship to the earth. This often occurs through site-specific works or installations that incorporate ceramic or clay objects.

Jacob Bartmann’s artistic practice centres primarily on the material and medium of clay — ceramics, earth, and loam. His work engages both with the specific material qualities of these substances and with their social and cultural-historical contexts.