Biography Simon Heijdens
(b.1978 Breda, The Netherlands)


Simon Heijdens’ works explore and reveal hidden narratives in our everyday surroundings. Often using light as a medium to make tangible the essence of a space, he creates unique technologies to explore the relationship and frictions we have with our surroundings – devising immersive installations, experiences and sculptures which question the perceptual distinction between the natural and man-made world.

With a curiosity for natural processes and intricate technology, Heijdens works balance gracefully between visibility and invisibility, exploring the human relationship to time, chance, pattern and energy in natural elements.

His unique practice of experimentation and innovation with both advanced technologies and rooted materials evolves into a new form of nature. Intrinsically blending medium and message, for each installation a custom new material or technology is developed completely anew from the ground up, creating truly distinctive and original materials, aesthetics and experiences, provoking a genuine sense of wonder that question and open a viewers perception.

His works are part of the permanent collections of museums such as MoMA New York, the Art Institute Chicago, Boijmans van Beuningen Museum Rotterdam and V&A London, and shown at Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Haus der Kunst Munich and Garage Museum of Contemporary Art Moscow, among others.

Large scale commissions include Shade for the Art Institute Chicago (2010) and the opening commission of the V&A London’s Sainsbury Gallery (2014), Silent Room (2016) for SXSW Texas, the Perrier Jouet commission for Art Basel / Design Miami, and the Museum cafe for the Boijmans van Beuningen Museum Rotterdam (2008).

'Lightweeds' (2004, ongoing), a projected living digital ecosystem responsive to actual meteorological conditions, has been exhibited in over 60 locations throughout Europe, US, the Middle East and Asia, and celebrated its 10th anniversary with a year-long exhibition at the permanent collection galleries of MoMA New York and large scale site-specific versions of the work commissioned to officially represent the State visits of the King and Queen of the Netherlands to the US (2015) and the UK (2018).


Originally founded in Rotterdam in 2002, Heijdens’ studio has been based in London since 2005 where he lectured at the Royal College of Art between 2005 and 2010. Simon Heijdens is represented by Superblue since 2020.

simonheijdens.com