Merel Theloesen is a visual artist who uses video and photography as a medium. She studied at the St. Joost Academy in Breda where she obtained her Masters Degree in 2015.

Theloesen uses herself and the video medium to investigate how the presence of a camera and the feeling of being watched influences human behaviour. She wants to reveal the way the camera affects us. We, humans, change our behaviour as soon as we know that we’re being watched. It is when we show ourselves to the camera that we become aware of the need to make ourselves into a picture. This awareness makes us think about our self-image, who we think we are, who we want to be, how we want others to see us.

Observing is a very important aspect in Theloesen’s work. She searches for ways in which observing can become provocative. Within this field of investigation, she uses herself as part of the work; her presence and acts trigger people to react, providing insight into the rules of socially accepted behaviour. She sometimes functions as a quiet or provocative observer; she may also face people with a provocative act. She explores the notion of voyeurism. In Theloesen’s experiments people always have to deal with her and her presence. The nature of her actions allows her to test and question the borders of personal space and intimacy in the eyes of her own generation and Western society. In all her works, experiments, and provocative acts, Theloesen questions her position as a young woman, and the position generally of women in society.