“Explore and discover the world beyond its boundaries, wether it be physical or mental. Art opens your eyes and heart”
STATEMENT
My work begins with observation, travel, and a sense of wonder. I collect moments that strike me in cities, landscapes, and places where people and their surroundings subtly shape one another. Emotion and analytical research guide my practice: I explore how places carry cultural meaning and how a single moment can unfold into a layered visual reality.
The moment that resonates is captured with my camera. In my studio, I return to that image - remembering, rediscovering, and studying it. Through digital editing, drawing, and painting, I add new layers to the original photograph, allowing documentary and imaginaire elements to merge into a renewed visual world.
This process results in photographic works that invite stillness, attention, and reflection. My images open a quiet space for viewers to travel into another reality, one where curiosity, subtlety, and silence come together.
BIO
Hanny Heetman (Rotterdam, 1954) is a visual artist based in Arnhem. She creates photographic and mixed‑media works in layered series that explore the relationship between people, cities, and landscapes. Her work is known for its gentle intensity, contemplative atmosphere, and refined sense of stillness.
International study trips and extended periods abroad including time in Kenya, Indonesia, Japan, and major European cities form an important foundation for her visual language. These experiences deepen her interest in how places carry cultural meaning and how moments of observation can unfold into layered, imaginaire realities.
Heetman presents her work in solo exhibitions, collaborative projects, art fairs, and museum settings. Key series such as Dreamscapes, Beyond the Image, PuYi - Emperor in a Fading Dynasty, and Lost in Time are regularly acquired by collectors seeking depth, subtlety, and a quiet visual presence. She works with small print runs, carefully printed editions, and unique pieces suited to both private interiors and professional environments.
In addition to her art practice, Heetman gives artist talks, lectures, and Art‑Based Learning workshops for museums and cultural institutions. She is a member of Arti et Amicitiae (Amsterdam) and Pulchri Studio (The Hague).
CV | Hanny Heetman (Rotterdam, 1954)
Art Education
2023 Japanese Art & Cultural History
2019 Art‑Based Learning & Visual Thinking Strategy
2017 - 2019 Masterclass, Amsterdam Centre for Photography
2006 Fotovakschool Apeldoorn - photography & digital image editing
2004 - present Applied art techniques
1980 MSc Landscape Architecture (cum laude), Wageningen University & Research
Study Trips & Residencies
Suriname · New York · Japan · Berlin · Paris · Indonesia · Kenya · Egypt
Professional Roles (selection)
Chair - Muziektheater Rood Mos & de Plaats Member - Schouwgroep Stadsparken City of Arnhem Chair - Art Fairs & Kunst in de Kamer & International Fed. of Landscape Architects Consultant Landscape & Art - Gelders Genootschap / City of Arnhem Assistant Professor - Wageningen University & Research Landscape Consultant - Egypt · Kenya · Indonesia