Dreaming Problems is the practice of Ester Venema (she/they), a queer illustrator and visual strategist based in Rotterdam.

Dreaming Problems develops urgent, handmade visual language — posters, campaign visuals, illustrations, and visual identities — for cultural institutions and grassroots movements. The work supports and shapes advocacy for social, ecological, and cultural change, moving between the gallery and the street.

Collaborators include W139, Marres, Clublokaal, and Werker Collective, as well as Extinction Rebellion and Actiegroep Oeververbinding. Current projects include Compost Illustration, a practice-based research project archiving the visual history of Dutch environmental activism and its colonial blind spots, supported by the Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie.

Ester studied at the Sandberg Institute and was a resident at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten. Her autonomous work is held in the collections of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Dreaming Problems is open to commissions, collaborations, and research partnerships.

Contact Dreaming Problems at dreamingproblems@protonmail.com