About

Olivier M. Herter (1995) is an award-winning interdisciplinary artist and writer, working across contemporary literature, performance, poetry, fine art, digital forms and sound. His body of work consists of performances, audio stories, essays, poetry, visual work and award-winning immersive films.

His pieces have been presented internationally at the Venice Biennale, Lincoln Center, Muziekgebouw Amsterdam, Bozar Brussels, South by Southwest and the Dutch National Opera, among others. Herter published written works in English and Dutch, and his work has been translated into German and English. Herter often works in close interdisciplinary collaboration with artists from various disciplines.

In 2020, he graduated from the Institute of Performative Arts in Maastricht, The Netherlands. That same year, he was artist-in-residence with composer Boris de Klerk at the former club De School in Amsterdam. In 2023, his collaboration with Studio Nergens on Songs for a Passerby was awarded the Venice Immersive Grand Prize at the 80th Venice Film Festival. In 2025, he was nominated for the Anil Ramdas Essay Prize with his essay on European politics of trauma and Agamben’s notion of peace.

His practice is research-based, having conducted both independent and collaborative research in the field. Herter often produces his visual work (photography and mixed-media) during this research and development stage, creating an interdisciplinary archive around every project.

As an artist and writer, Herter develops a distinctive body of work: athmospheric, non-linear and non-narrative. Understanding and non-understanding are a key part of his practice. His pieces are immersive, rhythmic and associative compositions, in search of footing in a shifting world. As a performer, he performed in contemporary performances, improvisation based pieces and plays.

Currently, he divides his time between Berlin and Amsterdam.

FIRMA GOTT

Herter often works on new productions, as well as editiorial and curatorial projects under the flag of his own imprint. Together with the team of H’ART Museum, for instance, FIRMA GOTT works on leading fine arts exhibitions and accompanying catalogues, in collaboration with Centre Pompidou (FR), Smithsonian (USA) en The Leiden Collection (USA), among others. Focus here is to overcome art speak and finding a clear tone of voice. For publisher WBOOKS, the firm works on book editing, mostly on fine arts and (art) history.

More information about new projects, as well as editorial and curatorial work on: www.firmagott.com.

Selected presentations

2026 Homecoming (column)
Hard//hoofd (NL)

2025 Counterforces (essay)
De Groene Amsterdammer (NL)

2025 Dat het was (performance)
Het Nationale Theater (NL)

2025 Dat het was (performance)
Frascati (NL)

2025 Dat het was (audio story)
Hard//hoofd (NL)

2025 Dat het was (publication)
FIRMA GOTT (NL)

2025 Songs for a Passerby (VR)
Bozar Brussels (BE)

2025 Songs for a Passerby (VR)
Lincoln Center NYC (USA)

2024 Songs for a Passerby (VR)
Bonnefanten Museum (NL)

2024 Songs for a Passerby (VR)
Dutch Film Festival (NL)

2024 Songs for a Passerby (VR)
Kaohsiung Film Archive (TWN)

2024 Songs for a Passerby (VR)
Nationale Opera en Ballet (NL)

2024 Songs for a Passerby (VR)
South By Southwest (USA)

2023 Songs for a Passerby (VR)
Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ (NL)

2023 Songs for a Passerby (VR)
La Biennale di Venezia (IT)

Awards, grants and nominations

2025 Nomination Anil Ramdas Essay Prize
De Groene Amsterdammer (NL)

2024 Stipend for artistic development
Amsterdams Fund for the Arts (NL)

2023 Venice Immersive Grand Prize
Venice International Film Festival (IT)

2022 Stipend for new performance text
Performing Arts Fund NL and Dutch Foundation for Literature (NL)

2020 Scholarship for international studies and research
VSBfund (NL)

Contact

info@olivierherter.com
@olivierherter