Trees Heil (1993) explores human fluidity through themes like identity and intimacy. Her photos, videos, performances, and publications convey ephemeral situations where people and their behaviour have been placed in a different context. An example of this is Heil’s long-term project Amor(ph) (2023), from which six photographic works are featured in Prospects. The common thread in these works is that all depicted human bodies have been playfully transformed into something else, for instance half-naked bodies posing together to form animals like horses or frogs. Heil often photographs these creatures in green environments and in an array of postures.
Through this work the artist aims to explore alternative forms of human interaction while reconsidering the relationship we have with our own bodies. Heil: “They are poetic, surreal, absurd, and mildly erotic scenes. I see these works as a platform for unlimited playfulness and intimacy. Playfulness takes precedence over immediate rationality. It is an intuitive and spontaneous process.” The camera enables Heil to get close to her subjects and create intimate moments. In this way she opens the door for new modes of behaviour and allows fantasy to enter reality.
Text: Milo Vermeire
Translation from Dutch to English: Marie Louise Schoondergang