SAMANTHA VAN HEEST

Samantha Van Heest (b. 1998) is an artist and art educator currently residing in the greater Washington DC area. She has exhibited her work across the United States and Europe. Her debut solo exhibition, DEEP/CLEAN, opened February 2023 at HOMME Gallery in Washington, DC. Samantha has been included in various group show at spaces such as UMBRELLA Art Fair (Washington DC); Hamiltonian Artists (Washington DC); Magma Maria (Offenbach am Main, Germany); McNeese State University (Lake Charles, LA); The University of Maryland (College Park, MD); among others. She was featured in New American Paintings South #148 and has worked for the contemporary painter Amy Sherald. She is a member of the 2024 Sparkplug Collective at DC Arts Center (Washington DC), and a Post-Graduate Resident at the Torpedo Factory (Alexandria, VA). She teaches art in the Greater Washington DC area with a focus in drawing, painting, and portfolio development. Van Heest earned a BA in Studio Art from the University of Mary Washington in 2020.

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“Utilizing still life, found objects, and the human figure, my work explores the complexities of recollecting the past while recognizing the fallible nature of memory. To soothe the fear of not remembering, I turn to collecting and preserving. I focus on select objects, particularly domestic findings: household items, toys, and textiles. My objects are actors for something more sensual, childish, or uncomfortable. I dissect the experience of girlhood, aiming to deconstruct childhood memories while longing for a polished preservation of the past. Secrecy between myself and the audience is intentional, hiding trauma, sexual innuendos, and personal relationship dynamics in plain sight. 

I utilize limited background details as a representation of the mind’s selective attention. I am interested in placing focus on the chosen subjects, while leaving space to question the sterile backgrounds. Within these negative spaces, often painted to resemble white walls or reveal raw canvas, I think critically about institutional art spaces, such as museums, that emphasize preservation, memory, and collection. I choose relatively mundane subjects and position them as a form of elevation, while leaving space to question what may have been omitted.

Threads of collecting and preserving continue throughout my current work, which delves into our relationships and rituals with the seemingly mundane. Utilizing produce label stickers as a vessel, I aim to create dialogue around consumption, repetition, and memory. I am fascinated by how each individual interacts with this sticker, ultimately forging a habit of ritual. I question how these household trophies of consumption take place in the world, their abundance in capitalist society, and their colonialist histories.”