Bio
Nina Berman is a documentary photographer, filmmaker, author and educator. Her wide-ranging work looks at American politics, militarism, post violence trauma and resistance. Her photographs and videos have been exhibited at more than 100 venues from the security walls of the Za'atari refugee camp to the Whitney Museum of American Art. She is the author of Purple Hearts – Back from Iraq, (2004) portraits and interviews with wounded American veterans, Homeland, (2008) an examination of the militarization of American life post September 11, and most recently, An autobiography of Miss Wish (2017) a story told with a survivor of sexual violence which was shortlisted for both the Aperture and Arles book prizes. Additional fellowships, awards and grants include: the New York Foundation for the Arts, the World Press Photo Foundation, Pictures of the Year International, the Open Society Foundation, the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University and the Aftermath Project. She is a member of the photography and film collective NOOR images and a Professor at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where she directs the photography program. She lives in her hometown of New York City.
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Education
University of Chicago, B.A. English 1982
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, M.S. 1985
Grants, fellowships, awards
2020 Humanities War and Peace Initiative, Columbia UniversityExhibitions
Solo Exhibitions
2020: Albany Public Library, “Object Lessons, Albany, NY, USA
2019: Image Singulières, An autobiography of Miss Wish," Sete, France2018: Gallery Nova, "An autobiography of Miss Wish, " Zagreb, Croatia
2017: Mirbach Palace, "American Power and Myth 2002-2017, Bratislava, Slovakia
2013: Photoville, "Fractured: the Shale Play", Brooklyn, NY, USA
2012: Bronx Documentary Center, "Gardens", The Bronx, USA,
2011: Dublin Contemporary, "Homeland/Marine Wedding", Dublin, Ireland,
2011: Royal Society of Medicine, "Purple Hearts" London, UK,
2010: Melkweg Gallery, "Purple Hearts," Amsterdam, The Netherlands,
2010: Bernstein Gallery, "Purple Hearts," Princeton University, USA,
2009: Side Gallery, "Homeland/Marine Wedding", New Castle, England,
2009: War Ltd, "Purple Hearts", Dubrovnik, Croatia,
2009: Gage Gallery, Roosevelt University, "Homeland", Chicago Illinois
2009: Media Alliance, "Homeland, Purple Hearts," Troy, NY,
2008: Cicero Gallery, "Purple Hearts/Marine Wedding," Berlin, Germany,
2008: Photokina, "Purple Hearts/Marine Wedding," Cologne, Germany,
2008: Jen Bekman Gallery, " Homeland", New York City,
2008: Elon University, "Purple Hearts," Elon, North Carolina,
2007:Jen Bekman Gallery, "Purple Hearts," New York City,
2007: Alice Austen House Museum, "Purple Hearts," Staten Island, NY,
2006: University of Maryland, "Purple Hearts," Baltimore, Maryland
2006: Trolley Gallery, "Purple Hearts," London, England
2005: Galerie Cerami, "Purple Hearts," Charleroi, Belgium,
2005: National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum, "Purple Hearts," Chicago, Illinois, USA
2005: Deutsche American Institute, "Purple Hearts," Heidelberg, Germany,
Biennials/Triennials
2015: Hamburg Triennal of Photography, "NOOR Za'atari project," Hamburg, Germany
2012: Helsinki Biennial, "Urban and City:" Helsinki, Finland,
2010: Whitney Museum of American Art, "Biennial 2010," New York, NY
2010: Milano Triennale, "Disquieting Images," Milan, Italy,
2010: Biennale d'Art contemporain, d'Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
Group Exhibitions
20202017
Centro Internazionale di fotografia, "Women photograph Women, " Palermo, Sicily
Zimmerli Art Museum, "Partisan Views and Public Opinion, " New Brunswick, NJ, USA
Czech Photo Center, “NOOR by NOOR, “ Prague, Czech Republic
Prix Bayeux Calvados, "NOOR Forgotton Conflicts/Tomorrow's Conflicts, " Bayeux, France
F³ Freiraum für Fotografie, "NOOR by NOOR", Berlin, GermanyPhotoville: Charlottesville and Beyond, Brooklyn, NY, USA
NYU Tisch School of the Arts, “Reimagining A Safe Space, “NYC, USA
Nathan Cummings Foundation, “Reimagining A Safe Space, “NY, USA
Krakow Month of Photo: "The War From Here,", Krakow, Poland
Paraty em Foco, "Resist by NOOR", Paraty, Brazil
Minneapolis College of Art and Design, "Unloaded," Minneapolis, USA
Institute of Contemporary Art, "Unloaded", Portland, ME, USAMarcia Wood Gallery, "Unloaded", Atlanta, GA,
Eyes on Main Street, Wilson, North Carolina, USA
Museum of Yugoslav History, "Lessons of '91" Belgrade, Serbia
Brandts Musuem, "In War and Peace", Odense, Denmark
Bronx Documentary Center, "Whose Streets? Our Streets!" The Bronx, NY, USA
University of Kentucky, Bolivar Art Gallery, "Unloaded," Lexington, KY, US
2016
Chavonnes Battery Museum, "1% Privilege in a time of Global Inequality, " Capetown, South Africa
Indiana Museum of Contemporary Art, Unloaded, Indianapolis, IN, USA
Organ Vida, Lessons of 91, Zagreb, Croatia
Station Independent, "WE:AMEricans," New York City, USA
Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, "Marcellus Shale Documentary Project: An Expanded View," Pittsburgh, USA
Head On Photo Festival, "1% Privilege in a time of Global Inequality", Sydney, Australia
Eyes on Main Street, Wilson, NC, USA
Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, "Unloaded", Grand Rapids, MI, USA
Gage Gallery, Roosevelt University, "1% Privilege in a time of Global Inequality", Chicago, IL, USA
Handwerker Gallery, Ithaca College, "Unloaded," Ithaca, NY, USA
2015
Pingyao International Photo Festival, "1% Privilege in a time of Global Inequality, Pingyao, China
Institute Francais, "EveryDay Climate Change," Milan, Italy
Monroe Gallery of Photography, "The Long Road: From Selma To Ferguson," Santa fe, New Mexico, USA
Fotografia Europea 2015, "NOOR Diary of a Changing Planet,' Reggio Emilia, Italy
Philadelphia Photographic Arts Center, "Marcellus Shale Documentary Project," Philadelphia, PA, USA
Space, "Unloaded", Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Smackmellon, "Respond," Brooklyn, NY, USA
United Nations, "Za'atari", New York City, USA
2014
Musee de Beaux Arts, “Putain de Guerre”, Charleroi, Belgium
Manchester Art Gallery, The Sensory War, Manchester, UK
Portland Art Museum: Blue Sky at 40, Portland, Oregon, USA
Palmer Art Museum: Marcellus Shale Doc Project, State College, Pennsylvania, USA
Photoville 2014, Za'atari, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Art Works Projects: Slavery Uncovered, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Kunstmuseum Dieselkraftwerk, The Critical Camera, Cottbus, Germany
Francis Marion University, Purple Hearts,Florence, South Carolina, USA
Allegheny College, Marcellus Shale Doc Project, Meadville, PA, USA
Brooklyn Museum, "War/Photography, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Youngstown State University, "Marcellus Shale," Youngstown, USA
2011
Halle 14, “Changes”, Leipzig, Nuremberg, Weimar, Germany
GEMAK, "Generation 9-11", The Hague, The Netherlands
Monroe Gallery of Photography, "Big Picture," Santa Fe, USA
Montserrat College of Art, "For the Record", Beverly, USA
Silver Eye Center for Photography, "HomeFrontLine, Pittsburgh, USA
Noorderlicht " Metropolis", Groningen, The Netherlands
German American Center, Stuttgart, Germany
Canadian War Museum, "War and Medicine," Ottawa, Canada
Ikono, "Noor" Brussels, Belgium
10b, "Consequences by NOOR," Rome, Italy
10b, "Solutions by NOOR," Rome, Italy
Galerie Cerami, "Under the Bridge," Charlero, Belgium
2010
IUFM Confluences, "US Today After," Lyon, France
Gallery ID, "Hedge" Miami, Florida
Bieler Fototage, "Homeland", Bienne, Switzerland
ARos Aarhus Kunstmuseum, "I Love You," Aarhus, Denmark
Alternatilla, "Consequences by NOOR," Majorca, Spain
IPPNW World Congress, "Purple Hearts," Basel, Switzerland
Rembrandt Square, "Consequences by NOOR," Amsterdam
2009
New Orleans Museum of Art, "The Art of Caring," New Orleans, LA
Houston Center for Photography, "Unite and Untie," Houston, Texas
Dask Gallery, "Consequences by NOOR," Copenhagen, Denmark
Powerhouse Arena, "Its Darkest Places: War Illuminated", Brooklyn, NY
Galerie Cerami, “No Comment”, Charleroi, Beligum
Noorderlicht, "Human Conditions," Groningen, The Netherlands
FotoPub, "Homeland," Novo Mesto, Slovenia
Kunstraum Potsdam, "Purple Hearts/Marine Wedding", Potsdam, Germany
ArteFoto 2009, "Homeland," Ancona, Italy
Deutsches Hygiene Museum, ”War and Medicine", Dresden, Germany
2008
Wellcome Collection, "War and Medicine," London, England
Stephen Cohen Gallery, "Images of War," Los Angeles, California
Pingyao International Photo Festival, Pingyao, China
Bumbershoot, "Power of One," Seattle, Washington
Benham Art Gallery, Seattle, Washington
Fovea Editions, "Frontlines", Beacon, New York
Portland Art Museum, "New on the Wall," Portland, Oregon
Massachusetts College of Art, "War Stories," Boston, USA
Jen Bekman, "Ne Plus Ultra", New York City
2007
Musee de l'Art Wallon "Icare", Liege, Belgium
Mark Di Suvero Peace Tower, Chicago, Illinois
World Press Photo Foundation, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Visa Pour L'Image, Perpignan, France
Boca Raton Museum of Art, "Thy Brother's Keeper" Boca Raton, USA
Nathan Cummings Foundation, "The Big Picture," New York City
Green Door Studio, "Purple Hearts," Burlington, Vermont
Columbia School of Social Work, "Purple Hearts," New York City
Suny Potsdam, Crumb Library, Potsdam, New York
Galerie Cerami, "Purple Hearts," Charleroi, Belgium
Catalogues/Book Chapters
A World History of Photography, Naomi Rosenblaum, 5th edition, 2019
Everyday Climate Change, (Silvana Editoriale, 2018) edited Dario Cimorelli
War Is Only Half The Story, ed Sara Terry, Dewi Lewis, 2018
Subjective/Objective: A Century of Social Photography, Ed Donna Gustafson and Andres Mario Zervigon, University of Chicago Press, 2017
In/Visible War: The Culture of War in Twenty-First Century America, Rutgers University Press, 2017
Re-imagining A Safe Space, Deborah Willis and Melissa Harris, Nathan Cummings Foundation/NYU Tisch, 2017
Whose Streets? Our Streets!, Meg Handler, Tamar Carroll, Mike Kamber, Bronx Documentary Center, 2017
Unloaded,Susanne Slavick, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, 2015
1% Privilege in a Time of Global Inequality, Myles Little, Hatje Cantz, 2015
Blue Sky, The Oregon Center for Photographic Arts at 40, Julia Dolan, Portland Art Museum, 2014
Trolleyology, Gigi Giannuzzi/Hannah Watson, Trolley, London, 2013
Photojournalists on War: The Untold Stories from Iraq, Mike Kamber, University of Texas, 2013
War/Photography:Images of Armed Conflict and its Aftermath, Anne Wilkes Tucker, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2012
Marcellus Shale Documentary Project, Laura Domencic, Pittsburgh, 2012
Bosnia 1992 – 1995, Jon Jones, Gary Knight, Sarajevo, 2012
Making History, RAY Fotografieprojekte, Frankfurt, 2012
Photographs Not Taken, Will Steacy, Daylight Books, 2012
Disquieting Images, Germano Celant /Melissa Harris, Skira, Milan, 2011
Whitney Biennial 2010 Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, 2010
US Today After, Gilles Verneret, Silvana Editoriale, Milan, 2010
A History of Women Photographers, Naomi Rosenblum, Abbeville Press Publishers, New York, 2010
The Pursuit of Happiness,Stitching Fotografie, Noorderlicht, 2009
War Stories, Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, 2008
Humans Being: Disability in Contemporary Art, Chicago Cultural Center, and Chicago, 2006
Crimes of War, Roy Gutman, David Rieff, Norton, USA, 1999
Selected Public and Private Collections
Musee de Charleroi, BelgiumVisiting Artists Lecture Venues
Annenberg Space for Photography
Baruch College
Bronx Documentary Center
Carter Center
Center for Documentary Studies, Duke University
Colby College
Colgate University
Columbia University
Dart Center
DOK Festival, Norway
Drexel University
Empire State College
Francis Marion University
George Washington University
International Center of Photography
Indiana University
Institute for Public Knowledge, NYU
Humanity House, The Hague
John Jay College
Kutztown University
Lisbon Consortium, Portugal
Massachusetts College of Art
Montserrat College of Art
New York Academy of Medicine
New York Film Academy
New School
New York University
Northern Virginia Community College
Palmer Art Museum - Penn State
Pratt Institute
Princeton University
Rochester Institute of Technology
Roosevelt University
Rutgers University
School of Visual Arts
Scottish Parliament
Susquehanna University
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of Michigan
University of North Carolina, Greensboro
University of Southern California, Annenberg
University of South Wales, Cardiff
Weatherspoon Art Museum
Whitney Museum of American Art
Yale University
Zimmerli Art Museum
Juries
2019 W. Eugene Smith, Student Award