“What is nature aware of? How do trees feel? What is nature telling us? These are the questions I wrestle with in my work, guided by the concept of grace—an understanding that there is no triumph over violence except through mercy. (…) By capturing gesture-like forms shaped by the play of light which seem to convey consciousness and meaning, my work invites us to reconsider our place and responsibility within the natural world.”
On page Work photographs from 2 series: Please Talk To Me 2021-2023 and The Powerful Are Always Lied To 2023-2024.
“The powerful are always lied to, since the weak are always driven by panic,” is a line from the poem Matin by Louise Glück
Contact
info@eileenvanessen-seriousmae.nl
Social
@eileensliefde
Short Biography
Short biography Eileen van Essen / Serious Mae
Eileen van Essen studied photography at The Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. During and after she worked as a portrait photographer for magazines such as The Haagse Post and Elle, with her work featured in photography journals including Camera International. After several years in the photography world, Eileen transitioned to painting under the pseudonym Serious Mae. This shift led to a year-long grant from the Mondriaan Fonds (Werkbeurs) in the Netherlands. Eileen exhibited both her photographic and painted works nationally and internationally, with pieces held in government and private collections. She paused her artistic career for nearly 30 years while shifting focus to become a professional psychotherapist, love coach and astrologer. In 2022, Eileen resumed her photographic practice, now focusing on landscapes, a theme that resonates with her earlier work as a painter.
Curriculum Vitae
Present: | |
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2025 | 2025 Solo Exhibition planned at EM Gallery in Amsterdam |
2025 | Take over on Instagram page Map6 Collective – 23-28 Februrari |
2024 | Artist in residence at LaBabuch, France June 2024 |
2024 | Artist in residence at ArteVentura Spain April 2024 |
2023 | Publication in ‘The Garden of Dreams,’ Black Flower’s Publishing Spring Vol. II |
2023 | Workshop Re-purposing and the artist book with RAYMOND MEEKS ar LA BABUCH, France in Oct. |
Past: | |
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1990 | Graduate Gerrit Rietveld Academy Amsterdam (photography). |
1990 | Selection Unilever Art Collection. |
1991 | Post-graduate Masterclass Sandberg Institute. |
1989-1992 | Portrait photography for Haagse Post magazine, Quote, Elsevier, Elegance and Camera International. |
1992 | Member of the board of Photographers Association Gkf, Amsterdam. Responsible for visual arts and representative at the meeting with the Minister of Culture. |
1990-1996 | Several grants from Amsterdam City Council and year long grant (Werkbeurs) from The Mondriaan Foundation for painting. |
1990-1996 | Group and sole expositions in Amsterdam & Rotterdam (Unilever) and group exhibition Santiago de Chili Museum of Modern Art. |
1990-1996 | Purchased for collections of City Council of Utrecht, City Council of Amsterdam, UGBI-Bank and private collections. |
1994 | Adviser for the Commission for the Stimulation of the Visual Arts of the Municipality of Utrecht and an advisory member of the Theater a/d Werf commission. |
1994-1996 | Founder and artistic director of project space D.O.C.Lands Amsterdam. |
1997-2003 | Creative strategist for TWBA/Campain Company, Saatchi & Saatchi, Design Company Keja Donia and Total Identity. |
2001-2003 | Co-owner Loerakker Gallery Amsterdam. |
2003-2007 | Owner Identity Doctor – Creative Strategy and Personal Branding. |
2007-now | Owner Piptherpie – practice for psychotherapy |
2028-now | Owner Liefdesadviezen.com |
2022-now | Owner Astrolovesage.com |
2023 | Masterclass Re-purposing and the artist book with RAYMOND MEEKS at LA BABUCH, France |
2024 | Publication in ‘The Garden of Dreams,’ Black Flower’s Publishing Spring Vol. II |
2024 | Artist in residence at ArteVentura Spain, April 2024 |
2024 | Artist in residence at La Babuch, France, June 2024 |
2025 | Solo planned in EM gallery Amsterdam November 2025 |
2025 | Take over on Instagram page Map6 Collective – 23-28 Februrari 2025 |