Dehlia Hannah

Dehlia Hannah is an Associate Professor in the Department of Arts and Cultural Studies at the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Humanities. A curator and philosopher of nature, she investigates the permeability of art institutions to environmental crises through interdisciplinary research bridging aesthetics, philosophy of science, and climate change discourse. Her work actively engages with scientific communities while reimagining contemporary art's role in ecological transformation.

Dr. Hannah earned her Ph.D. in Philosophy and Certificate in Feminist Inquiry from Columbia University in 2013, specializing in aesthetics, philosophy of science, and philosophy of nature. Her doctoral training underpins her unique approach to environmental philosophy through artistic practice.

Her research centers on climate imaginaries and institutional transformation, exemplified by the forthcoming monograph Rewilding the Museum (Hatje Cantz, 2025) co-hosted by ARKEN Museum and supported by the Ny Carlsberg Foundation. She explores how emerging science informs aesthetic contestation of nature through exhibitions like Placing the Golden Spike: Landscapes of the Anthropocene (2015) and Dressing in a World of Endless Rainfall (2016), reframing ecological crises through historical lenses such as the 1815 Mount Tambora eruption.

Analysis of her 2022-2024 publications reveals consistent engagement with atmospheric phenomena, sensory disruption, and artistic activism. Key trends include inversion of natural systems (climate/pandemic intersections), manifesto-based interventions, and geological timeframes reimagined through contemporary art practices. Her work demonstrates how artistic methodologies generate critical knowledge about environmental transformation beyond traditional scientific discourse.

Hannah leads significant grant-funded projects including the Ny Carlsberg Foundation-supported Rewilding the Museum initiative. Her transdisciplinary collaborations span ARKEN Museum of Contemporary Art, where she holds an external researcher position, and Arizona State University's School of Earth and Space Exploration, where she maintains active scientific dialogues as an affiliate.

Her current creative trajectory includes the upcoming exhibition Pink Noise by Troika (opening September 1, 2024 at Langen Foundation), continuing her exploration of environmental soundscapes and technological mediation. These projects operate within a network connecting museum professionals, climate scientists, and artistic collectives to develop new frameworks for ecological engagement.