Esther (19) (2006) Photographie par Mery

1971-1997

Melanie Rijkers (pronounce 'Rikers') (21 juli 1971) was born and raised in Bakel, Noord-Brabant.
After finishing highschool, she graduated at the Graphics & Design School Sint Lucas in Boxtel in 1992.(www.sintlucas.nl) But in the end the world of advertising didn't appeal to her very much, so she applied at the Academy of High Arts, Sint Joost and graduated in 1996 with a degree in Photography. (www.stjoost.nl)

Her final exam pieces "Blind" en "Statue" were inspired by poems from the book`Les fleurs du mal´(the Flowers of evil) by the French poet Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867). Blind: "Dardant on ne sait où leur globes ténébreux…" (as they look up in the sky with their emtpy and dark eyes...)
and Statue: "je suis belle, ô mortels! Comme un rêve de pierre..." (I am beautiful, oh mortals! Like a dream of stone...) Also first modern sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) used these poems to give his beautiful statues like 'Danaïde' its title. Just like Rodin Melanie is fascinated by the human (naked) body and its form, whichs reflects in Statue and her later work in (nude) portrait art.

Her Blind series is a documentary about Gladys Aalse, a blinde woman. For a photographer there's nothing so bad as being blind...how does a blind person cope, in this world filled with images. MeRy tried to re-capture Gladys' explanations, on how she experienced e.g. being on a trainride.


1997-2000

There's publications about these graduation pieces in Dutch photo magazines Focus and P/F and later also a portfolio with "Blind" was published in Hollands Licht (Dutch Light) in april 1997. She also did her first fashion shoot for designer Maartje Pijnenburg and got published in het Eindhovens Dagblad (juli 1997) and Exit, edition Breda.

FotoForum organises the exhibition "Graduated in '96, the year after" in Amersfoort. And the city council of Etten-Leur bought two originals from "Blind". In 1997 she also moves to the Merelstraat and gets married to Hans van Nunen. In 1999 their forst son Mees is born on july 16th. Melanie starts doing more commercial work such as weddings and portraits, and she's asked for commissioned works by Fujifilm BV in Tilburg, Miss Selfridge, Engeland and Jafra Cosmetics BV, USA.


2000-2003

Travelling remains a passion for Melanie & Hans after having visited Australia, Egypt and more beautiful countries, but with two children they stay in Europe nowadays. Work from these abroad trips will be for sale online via the 'Art' section soon.
Melanie designs her first website MeRy.nl in 2000. She does commissioned work for Akzo Nobel Decorative Coatings BV, Breda and Sassenheim, and Maquet Macom in Moordrecht; the "Zeelenberg Solisten Concours" in the Citytheatre of Delft.

June 24th 2002 their second son Pim is born. MeRy joins the BFN (Proffesional Photographers of the Netherlands) en de PANL (Photographer Association of the Netherlands) in 2003.

In 2003 studioatelier MeRy.nl. is opened by MeRy's father, d...

• Nationalité: PAYS-BAS
• Date de naissance : 1971
• Domaines artistiques:
• Groupes: Artistes Contemporains Hollandais