Yoke Matze began as a self-taught photographer and started her career in1970 as a photojournalist in her hometown Gouda in the Netherlands where she also ran her own art gallery. In 1982 Yoke settled in London where she studied for a BA degree in photography at the University of Westminster. After some years working as a professional photographer, specialising in architecture and portrait photography, she returned to work on a M.A. in Design and Media Arts in 1998, which she completed in 1998. In 1987, the Greater London Arts awarded her a grant for her photographic work on Burial rituals in London.
Yoke's work has been exhibited in the UK and abroad including the Netherlands, U.S.A, Germany, Ireland, and Russia.
Her work is in collections in the United Kingdom and The Netherlands, including: the Museum of London, the Theatre Museum in London, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the Prentenkabinet of the University of Leiden, the Municipal Museums in The Hague and Gouda.