Charmaine de Heij

info@charmainedeheij.com
Photographer based between Berlin, Germany, and the Hague in the Netherlands. 
For my resume, scroll below.

As a person of color, I find it crucial to represent our experiences. I transform lived realities into tangible visual representations. Through my artistic work, I examine subjects in which I am personally involved. In my creations, I also aim to be a representation of my cultural heritage, being from a Surinamese and Dutch background. I want to create an understanding of this heritage and I am a storyteller of my historical narratives. The Dutch have a dark history on the matter of colonialism and colonized Suriname. The lived experience of people of color can be traced back through a wide range of topics such as racism, Black hair, systems of oppression we face, Black joy, and other relevant matters. Issues which should receive more attention, as they obtain. 

A photography-based approach is the core of my artistic practice. This approach often takes form through photographs featuring portraiture elements and still-lifes. In addition to staging photographs archives are frequently utilized as a foundation. Through collages, these historic photographs are given a new meaning. Regularly this method is applied as a way of decolonizing the archives. 

My visual work is designed to challenge people's perspectives, introducing the outside viewer into realms to which they may not yet have been exposed and providing recognition and representation of those who are already familiar. I encourage the viewer to ask questions and explore what lies beyond their current understanding. By making use of photography as an educational tool, I aim to spark a meaningful impact and engage the viewer in a dialogue. I invite the spectator to join me in critical thought and the process of reflecting.