Carli Hermès

Carli Hermès (b. 1963, The Netherlands) is a photographer and director whose work operates at the intersection of commercial imagery and autonomous artistic practice. He developed his visual language through studies at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague and further training at The Arts Institute at Bournemouth. Over the course of his career, he has established an international presence, working across fashion, advertising, and editorial photography.

Hermès’ practice is characterized by a strong visual intensity, combining vibrant colour, staged compositions, and a distinctive sense of narrative. His images often balance clarity and ambiguity, drawing the viewer into constructed environments that feel both immediate and unreal. Through this approach, he creates a visual language in which tension, desire, and atmosphere play a central role.

While widely recognized for his collaborations with international brands and publications, his autonomous work forms an equally important part of his practice. In these projects, Hermès develops images that move beyond commercial frameworks, constructing scenes that explore themes of sensuality, identity, and freedom. These works often carry a cinematic quality, where the boundaries between reality and imagination remain deliberately open.

His photography frequently engages with the human figure, using gesture, styling, and composition to create images that are both direct and layered. Elements of surrealism and eroticism appear throughout his work, not as fixed themes but as recurring undercurrents that shape the emotional tone of his images. This combination of precision and expressive freedom situates his work within a broader dialogue on contemporary image-making.

By moving fluidly between commissioned and independent work, Hermès has developed a practice that challenges traditional distinctions between applied and fine art photography. His work maintains a consistent visual identity across contexts, emphasizing photography as both a communicative and an artistic medium.

Education

• Royal Academy of Art (KABK), The Hague
• The Arts Institute, Bournemouth

Collections

• Groninger Museum
• Kunsthal Rotterdam
• CODA Museum, Apeldoorn