Emile Kees

Born in 1995, Emile Kees is an Edinburgh-based visual artist who uses photography to explore notions of home, the mechanisms of memory and queer intimacy. His compositions navigate a continuous boundary separating natural spaces from constructed environments.

A nomadic and material education

Emile Kees grew up within a family community of artists combining a sculptor, painter, potter and fashion designer in a mobile home during the 1990s. This transdisciplinary and collaborative environment shaped his relationship with volume, material and performance.

In 2019, he constructed his first darkroom using salvaged materials and taught himself analogue techniques. He later validated this technical and conceptual journey by gaining a certificate from the International Center of Photography in New York.

The matter of time and the everyday

The visual signature of the artist relies on the rigour of laboratory work entirely done by hand. In his Edinburgh studio, Emile Kees prints all images individually using an enlarger, giving his silver gelatin prints a near sculptural presence. His compositions focus on the poetry of everyday coincidences and mundane scenes that he reworks to fix the passage of time.

Alongside his creative work, he shares his technical knowledge through courses and workshops at institutions including the University of Cambridge and the International Center of Photography. Since 2023, his work has been exhibited in New York, Scotland, England and Switzerland.

In 2026, in collaboration with the Montcalm Collection, Rise Art presents ‘Souvenirs’, a solo exhibition exploring how memory shapes and unsettles our perception of place.