ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Nina Hartmann's 'Actualization Machine' Explores Cold War Mind Control at Silke Lindner

exhibition · 2026-06-11

Nina Hartmann's latest exhibition, titled "Actualization Machine," is being showcased at Silke Lindner’s gallery. The exhibit, which features a range of encaustic panels, resin creations, and light installations, draws inspiration from declassified documents related to CIA activities and Soviet investigations into parapsychology. Hartmann, who was born in Miami in 1990 and obtained her MFA from Yale in 2023, explores themes of mind control and mysticism, particularly highlighting Cold War efforts. Her past exhibitions include displays at Silke Lindner in 2023, a gathering in London slated for 2024, and a 2021 event at Gern en Regalia.

Key facts

  • Exhibition title: 'Actualization Machine'
  • Artist: Nina Hartmann
  • Venue: Silke Lindner, New York
  • Mediums: encaustic panels, resin sculptures, lightboxes
  • Themes: Cold War mind control, MKUltra, Stargate Project
  • Source material: John Marks' 1979 book 'The Search for the Manchurian Candidate' and declassified CIA documents
  • Hartmann's education: MFA Yale School of Art (2023), BFA School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2013)
  • Previous solo exhibitions: Silke Lindner (2023), Gathering London (2024), Gern en Regalia New York (2021)

Entities

Artists

  • Nina Hartmann

Institutions

Locations

  • New York
  • Miami
  • Queens
  • London
  • Toronto
  • Milan

Sources