My name is Yvette. I am a photographer, artist and Waldorf educator born in the Netherlands.
As a child I loved being outside, content with very little, wandering through the village and the surrounding countryside, I loved to swam and go on small adventures.
One memory that has stayed with me is lying on my back in the grass in my childhood garden, looking up at a tree and its leaves from an unfamiliar angle. I remember the sense of wonder I felt, and how much I wanted to hold on to what I was seeing and experiencing. I asked my parents for their old analogue camera, hoping to keep something of that moment.
Looking back, this was one of my first encounters with photography: a moment of being so absorbed in looking that the world seemed to open up in a different way. I started to see beauty all around me and taking photos became a way of honoring life around me, something I have continued to do ever since.
I consider myself a student, continually learning from people, the natural world and the many ways of relating to and understanding the living world. I feel grateful for all these teachers, who continue to shape my understandings. I have a deep and growing fascination with the philosophical traditions of India, including yoga. And contact improvisation, originating in the work of Steve Paxton, through which I continue to explore listening, touch, play, body awareness and the ongoing attunement to others.
Over the years, my interests have taken me in different directions. My background includes studies in fine arts and Waldorf education, and several years working as a Waldorf primary school teacher in Amsterdam.
As a teacher what I loved most was creating a space for children to explore, imagine and develop their own ideas. I was especially drawn to the moments when children became absorbed in drawing, painting, storytelling or just play, and a natural sense of togetherness emerged.
I remain passionate about accompanying children in their creative processes, nurturing their curiosity and making room for their own discoveries.
At the end of 2024, I set off on a long solo bicycle journey through Asia, traveling from Nepal through India, Pakistan, Central Asia and Mongolia, eventually reaching Azerbaijan and Georgia. For months, my days were shaped by the road, the weather and the places I passed through.
Sleeping on the earth and traveling by bicycle, realizing this journey was never mine alone; it took shape through the people and animals I encountered, the landscapes and elements I traveled through, and all that I could not have planned. I remain deeply grateful to the many people I met along the way. Without their kindness, openness, hospitality, and countless gestures of care, this journey would not have been possible.
I returned with much to reflect on, and I am still discovering what that time has left with me.
My artistic practice currently centres on photography, alongside a love for drawing, writing and working with textiles including weaving, spinning, knitting and sewing: through these practices, I am rediscovering crafts that my ancestors have known and practised before me.
My approach to photography is quite simple and begins with presence.
I feel a strong pull towards the natural world, often finding myself drawn to forests, fields, rivers, lakes, the sea and mountains. Among these living beings and landscapes, my body slows down and I become more receptive to the life around me.
I photograph without staging or directing what I encounter. I try to remain present before, during and after making an image, mindful of the way a camera can both bring me closer to the world and place something between us. Often, the encounter itself means more to me than the photograph that remains.
Sometimes, in these moments of looking, I experience a moment of merging with the life around me. There is a feeling of belonging to the same living world, beyond the made up sense of ourselves as separate beings. I don't know if this experience can ever be fully held in an image, but perhaps it is something I keep playing with through photography.
Over the years, I have developed a love for analogue photography, drawn to its slower rhythm and the attentiveness it asks of me. My work has gradually shifted from black and white to colour.
If something in my work resonates with you, I'd be happy to connect!
