Esmee Schoutens works as researcher and policy officer at the National Museum for World Cultures in the Netherlands and as an independent researcher, editor, and curator. She holds an MA in Critical Studies in Art and Culture from VU University Amsterdam and has worked for several modern and contemporary art institutions such as the Amsterdam Museum, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, and Marres, where she has worked on exhibitions such as In the Presence of Absence (2020-21) and The Golden Coach (2021-22). Schoutens is interested in art/technology collaborations, financial infrastructures in the arts, darkness, and art activism. Her writing has appeared, among others, in Metropolis M and the Journal of Curatorial Studies. She is a member of the board of Platform BK.