Charmaine de Heij

Photographer based between Berlin and Amsterdam.

Charmaine de Heij investigates with her artistic work personal and contested histories. The work takes the form of photographs which often include still-life and portraiture. She reflects with photography on contemporary issues, that also concern her on a personal level. Charmaine examines the incomprehension of the world we live in today and occurrences close to her .
The topics her photography touches are various: they can come from a psychological state of being to identity. Charmaine comes from a mixed heritage, the Netherlands and Suriname. With her work she wants to be a representation of her cultural heritage and create understanding.
Photography's ability to blur truth and fiction is for her a compelling quality. De Heij digs into hidden memories and creates representation of what can be lost in the mind. Her work reveals the invisible and creates a space for dialogue that invites the viewer to question with the work that is reflecting in their eyes. Charmaine wants to hold up a mirror with her photography.