All That Is Contained, 2023, Mixed media, Camberwell Space, London

Carmen Van Huisstede is a multimedia artist based in London whose work navigates the intersections of perception, control, and the politics of information systems. Rooted in both conceptual rigour and material sensitivity, her practice invites viewers to reconsider the structures that shape their engagement with the world — from systems of knowledge and surveillance to the quiet presence of memory embedded in the everyday.

Drawing on hauntology as a conceptual framework, Van Huisstede works with found and domestic materials to evoke the layered temporalities of personal and collective histories. These recontextualised objects operate as sites of disruption and reflection, surfacing themes of obsolescence, nostalgia, and the emotional labour carried by material culture. Her sculptural and spatial interventions render the familiar uncanny, offering intimate encounters with the spectral residues of the past that persist in the present.



Originally from Romania, Van Huisstede holds BA and MA degrees in Fine Art from Camberwell College of Arts. She has exhibited in the UK and Romania and is a member of Critical Edge Collective and FOLD Collective — two London-based initiatives centred on collaborative practice and peer-led support.