Theo Baart (b. 1957) photographs the city and its outskirts and questions how our environment transforms and thereby the meaning of a place. In the Netherlands, we can look at the same place over and over and see something new every time. The dynamics of the design of our environment reflect our culture. That is the central theme in his work.
For example, Baart has been photographing in and around the former agricultural settlement of Hoofddorp for over 40 years. His books Bouwlust (1999) and Werklust (2015) are ‘spreads’ about the transformation of a rural village into a suburb of Amsterdam. The ever-expanding archive about this place can always be rearranged. The reorganization of the images, supplemented with a new image, leads to new interpretations and appreciation.
Other books by Theo Baart include Snelweg (1996) made with Cary Markerink, Eiland 7. Berichten uit de nieuwbouwwijk (2007), and Groot Amsterdam. Metropool in ontwikkeling (2020).
Theo Baart’s work can be found in various museum collections such as the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and the Netherlands Photo Museum in Rotterdam.

The proceeds of the Artists in Residence project are donated to the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds. The Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds aims to encourage inspiration, purpose, and social interconnection for everyone in the Netherlands by investing in cultural projects together with its partners. The Cultuurfonds supports and helps realize projects of cultural organizations and artists by raising funds and handing out awards for outstanding work.