Merlijn Hooijsma (1999) wins the John & Marine van Vlissingen Art Foundation Prize in 2026.
Merlijn is the kind of photographer who always carries a camera. With remarkable curiosity, he captures whatever draws his eye: a play of light, a facial expression, a detail in a landscape or an everyday moment filled with meaning. In Merlijn’s world, everything counts. His images are playful, clear and intuitive, inviting the viewer to look again with attention and a sense of wonder.
In May 2026, he will travel to Western Australia to work on a new photography series centered on light, perception, and stillness. The landscape offers him space for concentration and imagination. Its intense colors, silence, vastness, and changing light are important sources of inspiration for his new work. He is also delving into Aboriginal art, in which landscape, time, and spirituality are closely connected.
A book about Merlijn’s journey, sources of inspiration, and new work, the seventeenth edition in the Inspiratie series, will once again be published by Waanders. His work will be on view at Singer Laren from November 24, 2026, through January 10, 2027. The exhibition will then travel to Museum EICAS in Deventer for the period from January 24 through March 28, 2027.
Photo Merlijn (home page): Caecilia Rasch
Photo Merlijn (on the right): Herbert van der Beek
Merlijn graduated from the Fotoacademie Amsterdam in December 2023. He grew up in Muiderberg and developed as a photographer alongside his work in healthcare. From an early age, he has had a strong fascination with looking and with perceiving the world differently. A way of seeing that was recognized early on. His mother once described it as follows: “We saw the same things, but he managed to capture what remained intangible to me.” For Merlijn, photography is a way of continually exploring the world anew.
Merlijn graduated from the Fotoacademie Amsterdam in December 2023. He grew up in Muiderberg and developed as a photographer alongside his work in healthcare. From an early age, he has had a strong fascination with looking and with perceiving the world differently. A way of seeing that was recognized early on. His mother once described it as follows: “We saw the same things, but he managed to capture what remained intangible to me.” For Merlijn, photography is a way of continually exploring the world anew.
