FRAGILE

2020 - 2024

Hart’s most recent work Fragile is a personal and poetic reflection on nature made in the landscape close to Hart’s studio in the east of England. In response to the poem Trees At Night by the late Helene Johnson, poet and author of the Harlem Renaissance, Hart made work every month in the same locale over the course of four years. The aesthetic is rooted in the notion of a heightened awareness of the natural world, of both a physical engagement and spiritual connection to the land. Whilst becoming absorbed in this instinctual, visceral approach, Hart has become acutely aware of both the physical beauty and delicate vulnerability of these natural forms. Although concerns of the environment and sustainability are present throughout, the series goes beyond a central study of place to evoke an abstract ethereal sensibility.

In keeping with Hart’s longstanding practice to work in analogue, FRAGILE is made on medium format film cameras and printed by Hart as gelatin silver prints. The series was published by Dewi Lewis in May 2024 and nominated for the John Ruskin Prize and the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize in 2025.

rows of skeaal trees in the forest — December I

two skeletal trees with frozen branches on a foggy day — January I

an abstract curved pattern in long grass — July I

a grass pathway through woodland with skeletal arching trees — November II

Hundreds of tiny leaves resting on top of a frozen lake — December III

looking through branches to a frozen lake — December X

reflections of skeletal branches in a river from Paul Hart's book FRAGILE — December IV

A winding stream along a riverbank in the fog from Paul Hart's book FRAGILE — November I

looking along a river with an abandoned windmill on the bank — December II

a tree branch fallen into an frozen river — December V

a reflection of a group of trees in a river — March III

A skeletal tree on a snowy hill from Paul Hart's book fragile — February IX

A field with a row of skeletal trees and a heavy sky from Paul Hart's book Fragile — October III

FRAGILE | Monograph

Dewi Lewis Publishing | First Edition May 2024

Poem : Trees At Night by Helene Johnson (1906-1995)

ORDER

EXHIBITION PRINTS

FRAGILE comprises 51 pictures available in limited editions :

Silver gelatin prints :

Image sizes up to : 18 x 18 in / 46 x 46cm

Large-scale fibre based baryta prints :

40 x 40 in / 102 x 102 cm

Printed by Paul Hart

DOWNLOADS | LINKS

FRAGILE Press Release (pdf)

Exhibition Install (link)

PRESS

“Among many other resonant lines in Walden, Thoreau wrote, “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” These words find fulfillment in the dedicated, delicate vision of Paul Hart. While other photographers dash to the corners of the earth to “discover” something new, Hart has realized that the challenge of seeing is great enough on its own and can be realized by simply opening your door and taking a fresh look at the world which is waiting, right in front of you.”

— Alexander Strecker for Lensculture