afra eisma (b. 1993, NL) lives and works in Den Haag, the Netherlands. They studied Fine Arts at the Royal Academy of Arts, the Hague, and Central Saint Martins, London. Using craft techniques in novel ways, the artist explores and manifests personal stories through immersive and intimate installations of textiles, sculptures, and ceramics. afra eisma has been dedicated to creating immersive installations that actively involve the viewer, turning the sanctuary into an extension of the body. Generosity becomes a form of resistance.
In recent years, afra eisma achieved international recognition, with their immersive installations of textiles and ceramics travelling to institutions such as the Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego (USA), Dhaka Art Summit (BN), Kunstinstituut Melly (NL), the Kiran Nadar Museum (IN), Joan Miró Foundation (ES), and Wälnö Aaltonen Museum (FI). Recent solo exhibitions include: hush, Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego, USA (2025);dandelions milk, No Man’s Art Gallery, Amsterdam, NL (2024); Hop to Hope, Wäinö Aaltonen Museum of Art, Turku, FI (2023); Splashdown Tender, The Tetley, Leeds, UK (2023); Your silence will not protect you, Fries Museum, Leeuwarden, NL (2021); Feline Whispers, 1646, Den Haag, NL (2020).
Recent and upcoming group exhibitions include: mild tooth of milk, Dutch Warehouse, Kochi, IN; New New Babylon, Kunstmuseum Den Haag, Den Haag, NL (2025); I hit you with a flower, MABA, Paris, FR (2025); The new mother sculptures, COBRA Museum, Amstelveen, NL (2024); The Sea What We Want To See, Korean Foundation Gallery, Seoul, KR (2024); outside the soup, W139, Amsterdam, NL (2024); Very small feelings, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi, IN (2023); Amics Imaginaris, Fundació Joan Miró Barcelona, ES (2023), Multiplied Voices, CIAJG, Guimaraes, Portugal (2022), De Scheffer Prijs, Dordrechts Museum, Dordrecht, Netherlands (2022); 84 steps, Kunstinstituut Melly, Rotterdam, Netherlands (2021).
eisma’s work is included in private and public collections, including: Kiran Nadar Museum, New Delhi, IN; Textielmuseum, Tilburg, NL, De Vleeshal, Middelburg, NL; AkzoNobel Art Foundation, Amsterdam, NL; Fries Museum, Friesland, NL.
afra eisma in their Amsterdam studio, 2023. Image courtesy of No Man's Art GalleryEducation
2012-17 Royal Academy Of Arts, Fine Arts, den Haag, NL
2016 Central Saint Martins, Fine Arts, London, UK
Solo Exhibitions
2025 mild tooth of milk, Museum of Art and Photography, Kochi, IN
2025 Tokyo Gendai, with No Man's Art Gallery, Tokyo,
2025 hush, Institute of Contemporary Art (|CA), San Diego, US
2024 dandelions milk, No Man's Art Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
2023 Hop to Hope, Wäinö Aaltonen Museum of Art, Turku, FN
2023 Untitled Miami Beach, with No Man's Art Gallery, Miami, US
2023 Splashdown Tender, The Tetley, Leeds, UK
2021 your silence will not protect you, Fries Museum, Leeuwarden, NL
2021 84 Steps, Kunstinstituut Melly, Rotterdam, NL
2020 Feline Whispers, 1646, The Hague, NL
Group Exhibitions
2026 Childrens Biennial, Groninger Museum, Groningen, NL.
2026 Side Hustle Fair, Buro Stedelijk, Amsterdam, NL.
2026 The Ministry of Ceramic Affairs II, Koos Buster, Amsterdam, NL. 2025 Art Antwerp, No Man's Art Gallery, Antwerp, BE
2025 Hause of fibre, Textiel Museum, Tilburg, NL
2025 Fantastische Wezens, Museum Van Bommel Van Dam, Venlo, NL
2025 Puppet Masters, Museum Jan Cunen, Oss, NL
2025 Textielbiennale at Museum Rijswijk, Risjwijk, NL
2025 New New Babylon, Kunstmuseum Den Haag, Den Haag, NL
2025 I hit you with a flower, MABA, Paris, FR
2024 Se faire plaisir, La Kunsthalle, Centre d'Art Contemporain, Mulhouse, FR
2024 The New Mother Sculptures, Museum Cobra, Amstelveen, NL
2024 The Sea We Want to See, Korea Foundation, Seoul, KR
2023 outside the soup, W139, curated by Afra Eisma and Hend Samir, Amsterdam, NL
2023 suckle and squeeze, No Man's Art Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
2023 Roosen & Guests, Museum de Fundatie, Zwolle, NL
2023 Very Small Feelings, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi, IN
2023 TEXTILENOW, Textielmuseum, Tilburg, NL
2023 Bonna, DHAKA ART SUMMIT, Dhaka, BD
2023 Imaginary Friends, Fundació Joan Miró, Barcelona, ES
2023 Crying until laughing, Trafó Gallery in collaboration with 1 646, Budapest, HU. 2022 No Man's Art Pop-Up Gallery, MexicoCity, MX
2022 Pink Prison, Hotel Maria Kapel, Hoorn, NL
2022 Multiplied Voice, Centro Internacional das Artes José de Guimarães, PT
2022 Queens Substance, No Man's Art Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
2022 Art Brussels, with No Man's Art Gallery, Brussels, BE
2022 De Scheffer Prize, Dordrechts Museum, NL
2022 Sneakers Unboxed, Design Museum Den Bosch, Den Bosch, NL
2021 Dionysia, No Man's Art Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
2020 Summer Show, Ellen de Bruijne Projects, Amsterdam, NL
2020 Utsuro Bune, gardenlab, Kyoto, JP
2019 De reconstructie, ABC Klubhuis, Antwerpen, BE
2019 Meta Darlings, No Man'sArt Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
2019 Rooms of Now #3, Vleeshal Middelburg, NL
2018 Curl Up, No Man's Art Gallery, Amsterdam, NL. 2018 Ways of Seeing the Future, AMNUA, The One Minutes Foundation, Nanjing, CN
2018 Royal Painting Prize Exhibition, Paleis op de Dam, Amsterdam, NL
Press/ Publications
2025 splashdown tender, afra eisma, Artist Book
2025 Textile Biennale 25 Interwoven Futures, Museum Rijswijk
2024 In de open ateliers van de Rijksakademie voel je de turbulentie van de wereld, Lucette ter Borg, NRC
2024 Jonge garde. Paardenbloemen, Joke de Wolf, De Groene Amsterdammer
2024 Beeldrijm, Afra Eisma, Jedithja de Groot, Het Parool
2024 Outside the Soup, Thierno Deme, Metropolis M
2023 Untitled Art Review: An Exuberant fair in Miami, Brian P. Kelly, The Wall Street Journal
2023 Imaginary Friends: Barcelona art show aims to connect with our inner child, Stephen Burgen, The Guardian
2022 Rising star of Visual Arts 2022, 'In Japan zal ik leren om heel precies to werken', Toef Jaeger, NRC
2021 KUNST IS LANG: Afra Eisma, Luuk Heezen, Mister Motley
2021 Beeldend kunstenaar Atra Eisma (28): 'Als iets veel moeite kost, word ik daar rustig van', Anna van Leeuwen, De Volkskrant 2021 Art as a safe haven: it's completely new to me and I like the confusion, Wieteke van Zeil, De Volkskrant 2019 Stroom Invest interviews / artist Afra Eisma, Liza Voetman, Jegens en Tevens
Residencies
2025 EKWC Residency, NL
2022 Creative Residency Arita, Arita, JP
2022 Hotel Maria Kapel, Hoorn, NL
2015 Residency, Mirrors of Romania, Cluj, RO
Collections
Wayner Family Collection, US
Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Delhi, IN
De Vleeshal, Middelburg, NL
AkzoNobel Art Foundation, Amsterdam, NL
Fries Museum, Friesland, NL
Textielmuseum, Tilburg, NL SGABELLO collection, Amsterdam, NL Rijksoverheid, NL AMC UMC, NL
Nominations/ Prozess/ Stipends
2026 Charlotte Köhler Prize
2024 Bernhard Cultuur Fonds
2023 International Ceramic Prize, Arita,
2022 Nomination De Scheffer Kunstprijs
2020 Nomination Piket prijs
2018 Nomination Koninklijke schilderprijs 2017 Stroom award
2017 Kunstenaar Basis, established talent grant, Mondriaan Fonds, NL Emerging talent grant Mondriaan Fonds, NL Stroom Pro Invest