Ilva Nieuwstraten (born 1996, Voorburg, near The Hague) is a multidisciplinary artist whose work has gained international recognition.

In May 2025, she will have her first international exhibition at 打开—Open M Art Fair, OōEli, Hangzhou, China (May 1-5), showcasing her work "Niksnut / Good for Nothing." Her work was previously featured at Ron Mandos Gallery's "Best of Graduates 2024," and presented by the Van Gogh Museum during "Vincent op Vrijdag." The same work was also highlighted in an article in Volkskrant in September 2024.

Ilva graduated in 2024 from the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague (KABK), specializing in Interactive / Media / Design. She also studied Film & Moving Image at Tokyo Zokei University (2023) and trained in Butoh (舞踏, Butō, contemporary Japanese dance and performance ar) at the Dairakudakan (大駱駝艦) Artists Collective. Additionally, she studied Biodynamic Farming and Gardening at Warmonderhof (2018).

She has participated in residencies at Great Vow Zen Monastery (USA, 2017) and Zen River Temple (NL, 2016), deepening her meditative practice through two years of religious study. With this foundation in Zen monastic living and a deep interest in ecological sustainability, she approaches art as a way to foster connection and challenge societal norms. Her work creates narratives that blur the lines between activism and poetic absurdity.

Her thesis “Harmonious Inner and Outer Climates” (graded 9/10 by KABK 2024) can be found here.