The John & Marine van Vlissingen Art Foundation annually supports promising young contemporary artists in developing their craft. This year, the foundation has selected visual artist Vivian Ammerlaan. Her work is characterized by fictional landscapes, captured through digital and experimental analog photography. To gather inspiration for a new series of works, Vivian will travel this spring to the Rocky Mountains in Canada and the United States. The results of this journey will be compiled in a book and exhibited at Singer Laren from November 25, 2025, to January 4, 2026.
Red Thread: A Fascination with Landscapes
Landscapes form the central thread in Vivian’s work. She combines digital and analog techniques to create fictional worlds that reflect memories and desires. Vivian explains, “These techniques give me the freedom to create images that go beyond what is directly visible. It’s a way to depict feelings and memories—something that can never be fully captured in just a photograph.” During her journey to the Rocky Mountains, Vivian aims to be inspired by the vastness, space, and emptiness of this overwhelming landscape. “I’m not looking for an exact representation of the place, but for what the landscape evokes in me. I want to experience the colors and wilderness and translate that feeling into my work.”
A World of Dreams and Desires
Jan Rudolph de Lorm, a board member of the foundation, explains the choice for Vivian: “With her art, Vivian creates dreamlike worlds and landscapes that exist only in our desires. Her use of photographic techniques is unique, and she masters them completely.” Vivian herself adds: “In a time when the world has been meticulously mapped, I feel drawn to the remote and the undiscovered. My work revolves around the question of how to capture the essence of landscapes without being physically present. Memories and dreams play a crucial role in this. Using everyday materials, I create landscapes that evoke a world where humans have no place—an elusive space where time loses its meaning.”
Biography
Vivian Ammerlaan (1994) earned her bachelor’s degree in Photography from AKV St. Joost in Breda in 2016. Her work has been nominated for several awards, including the St. Joost Medal. She has also won talent awards at the Kunst10daagse in Bergen and the Affordable Art Fair in Amsterdam. Her work has been published and exhibited in venues such as Het Noordbrabants Museum in Den Bosch, iCOON in Hoek van Holland, and Museum Kranenburgh in Bergen. In the spring of 2024, she presented her solo exhibition Waanplekken at Ballon Rouge in Rotterdam.
Follow Vivian on Her Journey
Curious about Vivian’s journey and sources of inspiration? Follow her on Instagram via @vanvlissingenartfoundation or @vivian_ammerlaan. More of her work can be seen at vivianammerlaan.com.
