Biography
Traveling to the most isolated corners on earth, for Scarlett Hooft Graafland these austere surroundings become live actors in the highly choreographed performances that she stages there.
Whether it is the salt desert of Bolivia, the Canadian arctic, Madagascar, Socotra island or Vanuatu, Scarlett Hooft Graafland merges with the surroundings and its local culture. After weeks of preparation, working closely with inhabitants, Scarlett creates a scene, where local social issues take center stage, and the vast surreal landscape becomes the chorus of a classical tragicomedy that silently comments on the subject.
Scarlett Hooft Graafland’s photography calls out from the realm where reality is no longer reality. Using mise-en-scènes woven with contrasts, humour, and impeccable choreographies, the artist seamlessly transforms ordinary landscapes into astonishing “anomalies”…
The sense of humour, intimidation, timelessness and placelessness felt whilst looking at Scarlett Hooft Graafland’s work is rooted in her being a photographer, a sculptor, a choreographer and an explorer. Her works have been exhibited at various institutions, such as the New York Public Library, MOCCA Museum in Toronto, Huis Marseille Museum of Photography in Amsterdam, the MAC Museum in Lima, the Museum of Photography in Seoul and the Fotografiska, Stockholm. Scarlett Hooft Graafland’s works are part of collections such as the AMC, Dutch Embassy Dubai, Dutch Embassy Brussels, and Krug Champagne. She received a BFA from the Royal Academy of Art in the Hague and a MFA from Parsons School of Design, New York.
In March 2025, FLAT // LAND (Flatland Gallery, Amsterdam) will exhibit a selection of Scarlett Hooft Graafland’s works during the fourteenth edition of MIA Photo Fair, in Milan.