Jan Theun van Rees
Constructed spaces in photography
Jan Theun van Rees is a Dutch artist working with photography. His practice centres on the relationship between space, light and perception. Combining elements of architectural photography with constructed environments, he creates images that occupy the space between documentation and invention.
More about the artist
Originally trained in architectural photography, Jan Theun van Rees spent many years photographing hidden and transitional spaces in museums and theatres, including the Rijksmuseum and Carré. His photographs focused on places that usually remain unseen, revealing a quiet beauty in technical rooms, empty stages and spaces in transformation.
Over time, his interest shifted from recording existing environments to creating them. Today, Van Rees builds his own temporary spaces and photographs them under carefully controlled conditions. Light plays a central role throughout the process. Rather than depicting recognisable locations, his photographs suggest spaces shaped by memory, atmosphere and visual experience.
His recent series, Painted Room, marks a further development of this approach. Working with painted textiles and simple constructions, he creates spatial compositions that exist solely for the camera. The resulting photographs balance abstraction and architecture, inviting viewers to reconsider how space can be experienced through an image.
Jan Theun van Rees' work has been shown internationally and is held in private and museum collections. His photographs appeal to collectors interested in contemporary photography, architectural imagery and works in which light and material become subjects in their own right.
In June 2026, GalleryViewer spoke with Jan Theun van Rees about his artistic practice and the development of his recent work. Read the interview here.
Explore available works by Jan Theun van Rees
