Katrien Heere

Artist Statement

I go out and can’t help noticing beauty in everything that surrounds us and experience awe. Some document their daily observations, thoughts or feelings by writing them down in a diary. I create a visual diary through photographing with my iPhone what catches my eye, triggers my imagination or touches my heart. The sense of awe I experience by finding extraordinary beauty in the smallest or seemingly mundane things, brings me joy and peace and makes me feel deeply connected with nature and humanity. Looking at the state of the world today, the way we treat nature, the divide between people and the anxiety that it brings, we can all use more awe and calm in our minds and bodies. Confusius said, ‘Everything has beauty but not everyone sees it’. To be able to see the beauty that surrounds us, we need to learn to look. And we need to be open to changing our perceptions of what beauty is. It is not just perfect things that are beautiful. By sharing my images, I hope to evoke a new way of seeing that creates joy and stimulates people to be curious, to be amazed, and to allow themselves to be touched and moved by the unexpected beauty one can find in obvious and unobvious places. Our worldview is defined by our relationship with the natural world. Having placed ourselves above and outside nature, we have lost our connection to it. It is my naïve hope that if we all start noticing the beauty and experience the awe around us, we will realize that we are nature and that we need a bigger sense of urgency to protect our planet and lessen the current divide between us, its custodians.