OSCAR VAN HEEK

Oscar works as a lens-based artist and filmmaker. He has been nominated for the Sony World Photography Awards as well as the Scottish Landscape Awards.  His work is regularly shown at the RSA, including this year with THE WASTELANDS, now also showing at the inaugrual  SUMMERHALL ARTS GROUP SHOW at the Edinburgh festival, 2025.

Oscar wrote and directed DARK WATER, a unique experimental collaboration with Scottish Opera and composer Malcolm Lindsay, exploring new ways to create narrative structure. DARK WATER opened at Palm Springs Film Festival. 

This was followed by  THE IRON HARVEST, a video installation and series of prints, detailing the detonation of live world war one ammunition, on the former battle grounds of Ypres. The Iron Harvest was shortlisted for the SONY WORLD PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS 2020, shown at SOMERSET HOUSE in London,  SONICA GLASGOW 2022, and shortlisted for the SCOTTISH LANDSCAPE AWARDS 2023, showing at THE CITY ARTS CENTRE Edinburgh 2024.

In 2023 Oscar had major exhibitionat the EDINBURGH FESTIVAL with WATERFALLS, a unique collaboration with poets and authors including; Kathleen Jamie; Jen Hadfield, John Glenday and Cal Flyn.  

This was followed by  THE WASTELANDS, a  series shown at  Art Gene February 2025, the result of a year long ‘Deluge’ international residency.  THE WASTELANDS was also selcted for the RSA Open Exhibition 2025, and will further be shown at the inaugural SUMMERHALL ARTS GROUP SHOW at this year Edinburgh festival from the 26th July to the 21st September 2025.

 Other work includes ; MULTIVERSE selected for the RSA ANNUAL EXHIBITION 2022 exploring the legacy of man’s impact on the landscape and what is left behind; VANITAS selected for  RSA ANNUAL EXHIBITION 2021 exploring ominous industrial landscapes at dawn and dusk.

Oscar is currently developing two new series; THE DIGITAL SUN – large scale images exploring the impact of Digital Billboards, and THE LOST WORLD  – exploring a blended fictional and factual look at how nature regenerates if left to its own devices.

 Oscar has written three feature length screenplays, and is currently working on an exciting new musical feature  CARMEN’S WEDDINGS; an adaptation of Bizet’s Carmen, commissioned by Scottish Opera and Creative Scotland, which is both a live opera and musical feature film. Oscar has produced two feature films, including BLINDED starring Peter Mullan as well as numerous short films.

Oscar has lectured the MFA film course at  Screen Academy Scotland, has been a board member on Street Level Photoworks Gallery in Glasgow and external examiner at IADT Dublin and Royal Holloway London.