Artist info

Milette Raats (b.1971) works as visual artist and freelance photographer. Her autonomous work has been nominated and exposed both nationally and internationally, with highlights: Les Rencontres d’Arles (FR), Amsterdam Museum, Photoville New York, Headon Photo Festival (Sydney), Rotterdam Photo, Dutch Photo Festival Naarden, Designmarch (Reykjavik), PX3 Prix de la Photographie (Paris), Cicterna Art Gallery (Moscow), Sirius Gallery (Tokyo) and the H’ART Museum Amsterdam.

In 2015 and in 2019 , the Amsterdam Museum purchased six photos of Raats to be included in their permanent collection from the exhibitions ‘Transmission’ (about Miepie who got portrayed while living a transition of gender at the age of 60+) and of the groundbreaking project “Dutch Masters Revisited“. An article in The New York Times caused quite a stir in the Museum world regarding the last subject, (The project shows portraits of prominent Dutch citizens posing as people of colour who, based on historical research, are known to have lived in the 17th and 18th century in the Netherlands). In 2024 this project went overseas to Photoville New York.

Raats also works as a house photographer at the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is the regular photographer for the scientific working visits of His Majesty the King of the Netherlands.

Travel, the meetings that ensue abroad, staging, and the use of analogue cameras (including the 1952 Agfa Billy) are primary components of the photography of Milette Raats. In her ‘tableaux vivants’ she plays with the characters embodying different eras. Her appreciation of history, love for travel and analogue photography merge and flourish in her work, culminating in the filmic and picturesque. Her work is characterised by strongly introspective images, those shot deliberately out of focus bring film stills to mind. She considers it crucial that the viewer is able to freely interpret her work.

Milette Raats studied at HKU University of the Arts Utrecht in the Netherlands and at the L’École des Beaux Arts de Marseille (FR). She completed her internship at former Magnum Photographer Marc Riboud in Paris (FR). In 2002 she published her first book ‘Present – a Photo journey through Europe’ (BIS Publishers, Amsterdam (NL)).

MILETTE RAATS EXHIBITS IN THE NETHERLANDS AND ABROAD

  • 2024 NOCKNOCK Artfair, Amsterdam (NL)
  • 2024 Les Rencontres d’Arles (FR)
  • 2023 REFOCUS AWARDS Finalist in Fine Arts
  • 2023 BYMYDARLINGS Photo Event Amsterdam (NL)
  • 2023 Art Rotterdam, Photo Rotterdam (NL)
  • 2022 PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris Fine art Award Silver Serie "Page of the Mirrored" (FR)
  • 2022 PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris Fine art Award Bronze Serie "La solitude n'existe pas" (FR)
  • 2021-2022  Solo @ Flagshipstore SieMatic at the Vondelpark, Amsterdam
  • 2019-2020  Hermitage i.c.w. Amsterdam Museum, Dutch Masters Revisited
  • 2019  Dutch Photo Festival Naarden (NL), https://www.fotofestivalnaarden.nl/
  • 2018  OSCAM Museum (NL), Hollandse Meesters Herzien/Dutch Masters Revisited
  • 2018  Designmarch i.c.w. Hanna Felting, Reykjavik (IS) http://designmarch.is
  • 2017  SOLO The Emerald, Amsterdam (NL)
  • 2016 Finalist Landscape Award, Headon Photo Festival Sydney (AU)
  • 2016 Lensculture London, Nomination Emerging Talent Award (UK)
  • 2016 Lensculture London, Nomination Portrait Award (UK)
  • 2016  Solo, The Emerald House Amsterdam (NL)
  • 2016  Solo, 5&33 Gallery, Amsterdam (NL)
  • 2015 ‘Transmission’ i.c.w. Koos Breukel, Amsterdam Museum, Amsterdam (NL)
  • 2014 Gallery Sirius Tokyo (JP)
  • 2014 Emerald House i.c.w. Gallery Seelevel Amsterdam (NL)
  • 2014 Amstel Gallery Amsterdam (NL)
  • 2014 Gallery Majke Husstege (Dutch Gallery Award) (NL)
  • 2013 Dutch Photo Festival,  Naarden (NL)
  • 2013 Photoville, International Photo Festival New York (USA)
  • 2011  IJFFF Photo & Film Festival, Amsterdam (NL)
  • 2012  Solo @ Gallery Majke Husstege, Den Bosch (NL)
  • 2010  Gallery Majke Husstege, Den Bosch (NL)
  • 2009 Meteorite Londen (UK)
  • 2007 member of Lensmodern photo agency in London (UK)
  • 2007 Dutch Photo Festival Naarden (NL)
  • 2007/2006 Gallery Cicterna, Moscow (RU)