Hester Badenhorst, born 1972 currently resides in Pretoria, South Africa, and has been painting and drawing since she could hold a pencil.

She matriculated in 1989 with a distinction in Visual Arts and was set on studying Fine Art. However, coming from a career minded family, studying Town and Regional Planning was a suitable compromise. She specialised in Geographic Information Systems (GIS): creating maps and doing spatial analysis on a digital platform. GIS proved to be a very creative and stimulating tool, and Hester created many beautiful infographic maps for public and private clients over the past 30 years.

Since 2021 she decided to apply her map making skills in an artistic manner. Map elements such as contours, relief, town layouts, and aerial photography are integrated as design elements onto artwork. Her art can be described as contemporary mixed media, and usually includes recognisable images such as people and maps, which the viewer can relate to. These artworks all tell a story, be it social deprivation, decolonisation, technological advancement or existential questions, to name a few. Recycled items such as teabag paper are ideal for mixed media, and Hester uses it freely as symbols to strengthen the stories within her artwork.