Vanessa van Houten is a photographer and filmmaker born in San Rafael, California, in 1971. She studied filmmaking at The Film Academy (HFF) in Munich, Germany. Vanessa is actively working in Indonesia, focusing on intimate and empathetic portrait photography. 

Her work is known for its sensitive approach that highlights the inner beauty and vulnerability of people. Through her projects, Vanessa invites viewers to reflect and appreciate the uniqueness and depth of each individual.

She participated in the group exhibition “Macam-macam” at Redbase Foundation, Yogyakarta, in 2019. In addition, she has held a solo photography exhibition at Art:1 New Museum in Jakarta and has taken part in exhibitions at the HeadOn Photography Festival in Sydney, Goethe Institut in Jakarta, and Redbase Foundation in Yogyakarta.