Hilton Contemporary is pleased to present Cristina Mittermeier: Marks of Memory, a solo exhibition of new works on view from July 22 - September 15 at Hilton Contemporary's River North gallery.

The exhibition features a new body of mixed-media collages alongside a selection of limited-edition photographs, expanding Mittermeier’s celebrated visual language through layered, tactile works that reflect on memory, place, and the fragile beauty of the natural world.

These new collage works extend Mittermeier’s longstanding exploration of our connection to nature while introducing a new physicality to her practice. Built through layers of image, texture, and mark-making, the works reflect both personal remembrance and collective environmental memory—traces of landscapes, coastlines, wildlife, and lived experience that remain with us long after a moment has passed. The result is a body of work that feels both expansive and deeply personal, balancing wonder with urgency.

Coinciding with the exhibition, Mittermeier will also appear in Chicago as an honorary guest speaker at Aspen Institute's Aspen Ideas: Climate Chicago at Shedd Aquarium on July 21st — a fitting extension of the environmental and conservation themes that have defined her career. Serving as the focal point for the summit's "Evenings at Ideas", the event brings together global leaders, policymakers, and climate innovators.

• Evening at the Shedd (July 21): From 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM attendees can enjoy climate-focused dialogue surrounded by marine life. The festival's signature "Spark Talks" transforms into "Shark Talks," exploring nature-inspired climate solutions from sea otters, coral reefs, and electric eels.

• Speakers: In addition to Cristina Mittermeier, the speaker roster includes figures like Al Roker, actor Rainn Wilson, Chef Rick Bayless, and Shedd’s Vice President of Environmental Operations, Allen LaPointe

Mittermeier is widely known as one of the leading voices in contemporary conservation photography. A photographer, marine biologist, and co-founder of the conservation organization SeaLegacy, her work has helped shape global conversations around climate change, biodiversity, and ocean protection. 

Yet even as her images bear witness to the environmental crisis, they are rooted in reverence—an effort to inspire care, responsibility, and a deeper sense of belonging within the natural world.



In Marks of Memory, that sense of reverence takes on new form. The exhibition invites viewers to consider how images function not only as records, but as vessels: carrying emotion, experience, and evidence of what has been loved, witnessed, and at risk of being lost. Together, the collages and photographs offer a meditation on remembrance, stewardship, and the enduring marks left by both nature and human presence.

Marks of Memory will be on view at Hilton Contemporary through September 15, 2026

312.852.8200 • arica@hiltoncontemporary.com • http://www.hiltoncontemporary.com 

Image: Muñeca con Flores