ABOUT
Trees Heil (1993, The Netherlands) works with the intimate and complex relationship between identity, desire, and self-expression from a female perspective. The female and queer body is celebrated as a source of creativity and imagination through photography, short films, and performances.
Her work delves into mental and physical experiences through a magical-realist lens. She embraces both vulnerability and the beauty of the unexpected. Heil mostly collaborates with female and queer models, using an intuitive approach. The models undergo a literal transformation during the creative process. Mutual exchange of ideas plays a central role here, which leads to a profound and meaningful collaboration.
Heil investigates the potential of the body and the power of physical expression. With her works serving as a platform where pleasure, curiosity, and creativity meet, thereby aiming to liberate the body from conventional notions.
Her work has been shown in Het Hem, Zaandam (NL), Museum Ijsselstein, Ijsselstijn (NL), Frascati Theater, Amsterdam (NL), W139, Amsterdam (NL), Marres, Maastricht (NL), Kunstliefde, Utrecht (NL), Ruis, Nijmegen (NL), Onboards Biennale, Antwerp (BE), Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem (NL), SecondRoom Antwerp (BE), WORM, Rotterdam (NL) Melkweg Expo, Amsterdam (NL) and Yi Contemporary Art Center (CN).
In addition to her autonomous works Heil also works in commission especially within the field of fashion photography. She has shot fashion editorials for magazines including King Kong Magazine (UK), Sensitive Content Magazine (USA), BOOT magazine (ENG), GRIND magazine (JP) and Musée Magazine (NY). Recently she shot her first campaign for the fashion brand Camiel Fortgens.
Trees Heil, 2024 | Photo by Verena Blok
CONTACT
+31649266291
[email protected]
Instagram: @trees_heil
CV
Education
2019 Likeminds Factory, theatre training programme, Amsterdam
2019 Royal Academy of Art, photography bachelor, The Hague
2017 Exchange period, KASK / School of Arts Ghent, installation art, Ghent
2016 Elective course, ethics, Leiden University
Exhibitions / performances
2025 Group exhibition, @TheHub24, Curated by Miranda Lantink (NL)
Group exhibition, OSTRA gallery, Lisbon (PT)
Group exhibition, Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem (NL)
Solo exhibition, Melkweg Expo, Amsterdam (NL)
Screening, short film The Secret Garden, Melkweg Expo, Amsterdam (NL)
Performance, ‘Tableau Vivant 03’, during ‘Everything for the Image’, solo exhibition, Melkweg Expo, Amsterdam (NL)
Group exhibition, Sino-Dutch Young Female Artists Photograph Exhibition, Yi Contemporary Art Center (CN)
2024 Screening videoclip 'Hic enda Thu' with Echo+seashell, Van Doesburghuis, Paris (FR)
Duo exhibition, Village bookstore Gallery, Leeds (ENG)
Group exhibition, Amsterdam Museum, Amsterdam (NL)
Performance, My Guides and Me & Piyoyo, OCCII, Amsterdam (NL)
SWAB Barcelona Art Fair, Barcelona (ESP)
Group exhibition, Hyphae Collective, Amsterdam, De Sering (NL)
Group exhibition, Limburg Biennale, Marres Maastricht, Maastricht (NL)
Group exhibition, Seelab, The Hague (NL)
Performance, My Guides and Me & Piyoyo, Seelab, The Hague (NL)
Group exhibition, Seelab, Group show, Jan Koos Feylbriefs Levensspiegel, The Hague (NL)
Group show, Amsterdamse Kantoor van Clifford Change / Young Collectors Circle, Amsterdam (NL)
Group exhibition, Kiekencentrale, Antwerp (BE)
Group exhibition ‘Prospects’ / Art Rotterdam, Van Nelle Fabriek, Rotterdam (NL)
Group exhibition ‘Butus Next Door’, Brutus, The Hague (NL)
Performance ‘Tableau Vivant 02’, during 'Come Together festival', Frascati, Amsterdam (NL)
2023 Performance ‘Tableau Vivant 01’, Kunstliefde, during 'U?' festival, Utrecht (NL)
Group exhibition ‘Hazy Horizons’, Kunstliefde, Utrecht (NL)
Performance with My Guides and Me, Museum IJsselstein, Ijsselstein (NL)
Performance ‘The Puddle’, De Personeelskamer, Amsterdam (NL)
Duo exhibition with Bernice Nauta ‘The Puddle’, Personeelskamer, Amsterdam (NL)
Group exhibition, How small can you go summer expo’, Tiny Art Gallery, Ruis, Nijmegen (NL)
Performance ‘ASS social’, Billytown, The Hague (NL)
Duo exhibition with Bernice Nauta ‘The Puddle’, Art Bar Billytown, The Hague (NL)
Window etalage, Launch King Kong magazine issue 16, Athenaeum Bookstore, Amsterdam (NL)
Group exhibition ‘In Touch’, Onboards Biennale, Antwerp (BE)
Performance ‘The Horseday performance II’, Springboard Art Fair in Utrecht, Utrecht (NL)
Springboard Art Fair, Werkspoorkathedraal, Utrecht (NL)
Performance ‘The secret performance II’, De Apotheek, Amsterdam (NL)
Performance ‘The Horseday performance I’, SecondRoom Antwerpen, Antwerpen (BE)
Solo exhibition ‘Horseday’, SecondRoom Antwerpen, Antwerpen (BE)
Group exhibition ‘Buy My Darlings’, NDSM Fuse, Amsterdam (NL)
2022 Jam session, MAGIC, Project Nieuw en Meer, Amsterdam (NL)
Performance with JD and Tracy, Garden of Stars III, The Hague (NL)
Performance with Ambre Solaire, Jazzcafe Dizzy, Rotterdam (NL)
Performance ‘The secret performance I’, Het Hem//2Walls, Zaandam (NL)
Group exhibition ‘Limburg Biënnale 2#’, Marres Maastricht (NL)
Solo exhibition ‘Amor(ph) II’, Het HEM, 2Walls//, Zaandam (NL)
Performance with Ambre Solaire, W139, Amsterdam (NL)
Fundraiser/tentoonstelling ‘Milk is Murder’ with Gijsje Heemskerk en Shani Leseman, W139, Amsterdam (NL)
2021 Solo exhibition ‘Tuned in Melodies II’, Atelier Oh Nee, The Hague (NL)
Solo exhibition ‘Tuned in Melodies I’, Art Bar Kippy, Amsterdam (NL)
Group exhibition ‘Fashionclash’, In collaboration with SKHSS, Maastricht (NL)
Group exhibition ‘Rite de Passage / Home Fountain Special’, Rotterdam (NL)
Group exhibition ‘The Hague Koninginnedag expositie’, Hgtomi Rosa, The Hague (NL)
Group exhibition ‘Tiny Art Gallery II’, The Hague (NL)
2020 Performance ‘Toe, val’, Frascati, Amsterdam (NL)
Performance ‘Amor(ph) I’, DYAD, Amsterdam (NL)
Duo exhibition with Toto Stoffels, Like me Like this, DYAD, Amsterdam (NL)
Group exhibition ‘Garden of Stars’, in collaboration with Bas Kaufmann, The Hague (NL)
Group exhibition ‘Murf/Murw in de H.U.T.’, Theater De Nieuwe Vorst, Tilburg (NL)
2019 Performance with Ambre Solaire, Submarine Festival, Grey Space in The Middle, The Hague (NL)
Performance with Ambre Solaire, Itchy Tongue Royal Music Festival, De Besturing, The Hague (NL)
Performance ‘Hermit Kingdom’, Likeminds Bedankt! theatre festival, De VerbroerderIJ, Amsterdam (NL)
Group exhibition ‘Murf/Murw I’, Pand P, Eindhoven (NL)
Graduation show ‘Period Pride’, Royal Academy of Art, The Hague (NL)
Group exhibition ‘Push it to the limit’, Melkweg Gallery, Amsterdam (NL)
2018 Performance ‘Technostress performance’, WORM, New year new me, Rotterdam (NL)
Group exhibition ‘Stray Dogs Walk the Red Carpet’, Sexyland, Amsterdam (NL)
Group exhibition ‘What about a group portrait’, Nutshuis, The Hague (NL)
2017 Group exhibition ‘Second hand’, Franse Vaart, Ghent (NL)
Group exhibition ‘Second hand’, Second hand shop Bruse Poort, Ghent (NL)
Group exhibition ‘Een kleptomaan neemt de dingen letterlijk’, KASK / School of Arts Ghent, Ghent (BE)
Solo exhibition ‘Rust en onrust / Dag van de filosofie’, Zwarte Zaal KASK, Ghent (BE)
2016 Group exhibition ‘Fabulous Failures’, Royal Academy of Art, The Hague (NL)
Group exhibition ‘Baobab magazine’, Royal Academy of Art, The Hague (NL)
Solo exhibition ‘Men from the hotel’, Studio K, Amsterdam (NL)
Group exhibition, Eastern Neighbours Film Festival (ENFF), Filmhouse The Hague, The Hague (NL)
Group exhibition, ‘Stray Dogs Walk the Red Carpet’, Akademija Likovnih Umjetnosti, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH)
2015 Group exhibition, Revival of captured scènes, Arti Et Amicea, Amsterdam (NL)
Group exhibition ‘Breaking Walls festival’, Amsterdam (NL)
2014 Group exhibition ‘The king and I’, Theater aan het Spui, The Hague (NL)
Solo exhibition, Atelier Oosterbosch, Amsterdam (NL)
Group exhibition, Rozentheater, Amsterdam (NL)
Campaigns
2024 Camiel Fortgens AW25, Amsterdam (NL)
Editorials
2025 Editorial, The Paper, Issue 2: The Terror Issue (UK)
2025 Editorial, Sensitive Content Magazine Vol.5 (USA)
2024 Editorial, BOOT Magazine, issue 002 (ENG)
2024 Publication Campaign Camiel Fortgens AW24, GRIND MAGAZINE (JP)
2024 Editorial, King Kong magazine issue 17 (UK)
2023 Editorial, King Kong magazine issue 15 (UK)
Talks / presentations
2025 Three day workshop, 'My Secret Garden', Maastricht Institute of Arts (NL)
2025 Artist talk, Maastricht Institute of Arts (NL)
2025 Three day workshop, 'My Secret Garden', Academy of Fine Arts Nuremberg (DE)
2025 Artist talk, Academy of Fine Arts Nuremberg (DE)
2025 Movie night / film screening with Moderator Eva Langerak, Melkweg Cinema, Amsterdam (NL)
2024 Artist tour, Photogaphy students KABK, ‘Prospects’ / Art Rotterdam, Van Nelle Fabriek, Rotterdam (NL)
2023 Artist talk, Kunstliefde, Group show Hazy Horizons, Utrecht (NL)
Recedencies
2023 Performing Arts Forum, Reims (FR)
2020 Stichting de Vrolijkheid, Amsterdam (NL)
2017 Summerschool, Het Vijfde Seizoen, Den Dolder (NL)
Collections
Pro Brutus Collection
Various private collections
Teaching
2020 Vinse School, photo workshop 'My (Secret) Garden', Amsterdam (NL)
2022 Portfolio reviews KABK, The Hague (NL)
2020-2025 Tiener Nova College, photo workshops, Dordrecht (NL)
2019 Jurylid Cultuurschakel, The Hague (NL)
Grants
2025 Kunstenaar Basis, Mondriaan Fund
2024 Kunstenaar Project, Mondriaan Fund
2024 Voucher Development, Mondriaan Fund
2024 Kunstenaar Project, Mondriaan Fund
2023 Stipendium for Emerging Artists, Mondriaan Fund
2023 U! festival