Naomi van Heck
Internship: Zahra Reijs
info@naomiheji.com, instagram.com/naomiheji
As a Women, half Dutch, Half Korean, music-lover, dancer, sexual being, anime-girl, image-maker, lover, open, cute, chameleon, Scorpio, most-of-the-time-a-happy-person, I am called Naomi He-Ji van Heck. I like to work with colors, femininity, energies, humor, sexuality, vulnerability, taboos, emotions, fun, intuition, building sets, performance and myself. Using photography, video, performance and installations, helps me to go through certain processes in my life to make a step into my development as an image maker and as a person.
GRADUATION PROJECT
Have you ever been judged by others because of the way you look? Do you feel like your identity is being controlled? Are you tired of people having ideas about you? Well, I am. Growing up I felt like I had to perform to be whatever people saw me as, but no more… I’m Naomi and I do it Naomway. I am taking back control. I want to show that we are a bit of everything.There’s no one version of yourself. I decide myself who I want to be and nobody else should do that for me.
THESIS
Cherish Me Nicely
Living in a society where logic and structure are the norm, there is less space for creativity and change. We use our brain rather than our body and soul. What lies on the other side of this and how could it get in a better balance? On the other side of logic and structure lies intuition and emotion. Everyone has both sides but one of them is more dominant then the other. By getting aware of the two different sides, we can create a better balance within us so they can work in their full potential. This thesis is about these two different sides. It explains the way they work and how art can show the importance of intuition and emotions. It’s part of a search towards an understanding why intuition can be preferred rather than rational and logical thinking. The first part of the thesis, will go more in depth into different theories regarding the logical, rational, intuition and emotion aspects. It will have information about the left and right part of the brain, the Shakti and Shiva theory, the female and male energy within us, the Yin Yang theory and about intuition and emotions. The second part of the thesis is about two different artists, Yayoi Kusama and Maisie Cousins, explaining their methodologies and how intuition and emotions are incorporated in their art. Maisie Cousins takes the viewer very close to her images and often creates a very intimate situation, which is more about feeling and emotions. Yayoi Kusama was more in touch with her intuition because of her hallucinations and her inner voice that made her create work all the time. The themes ‘sexuality’ and ‘femininity’ are also discussed, because they are in touch with intuition and emotions. The two themes are discussed in combination with the two artists. All this comes together in the last part of the thesis in which the two artists are compared with each other and myself. I connect all the dots and give my own point of view in combination with my own work. Overall the thesis will give a clearer view on the importance of intuition and emotions within art. Yayoi and Maisie are very relevant in showing this. They show that you can tell a story by making people feel something. It’s not always explainable. We are all human and we all deal with intuition, emotions and feelings.