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.
This spring, he will travel to Western Australia to work on a new photographic series in which light, perception and stillness take center stage. Travelling along the west coast, he will make his way to the still unexplored Great Sandy Desert. The seemingly empty landscape, through its silence and colour, the oranges and greens of the land and its pink salt lakes, offers space for heightened perception and full presence. From this state of concentration, new creation emerges. In addition, Merlijn is exploring Aboriginal art, in which landscape, time and spirituality are closely intertwined.
A book documenting Merlijn’s journey, sources of inspiration and new works, the seventeenth edition in the Inspiration series, will be published this year by Waanders. His new work will be on view at Singer Laren from 24 November 2026 to 10 January 2027. The exhibition will subsequently travel to Museum EICAS in Deventer, from 17 January to 28 March 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.
