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, during the Open Studio route at Breda Photo. Also her work "Eye on Breda" was exhibited in the Breda's Museum, where it's now added in the Photo Archives of the city of Breda.
In the Chassé Theatre "Eye on the theatre" was also shown during Breda Photo, which is a series on the demolished Concordia Theater (1995/1996). The wellknown and famous Dutch architect Herman Herzberger also chose these photo's for his exhibition on his Chassé Theater in Museum de Beyerd.

Together with Kimmic, Melanie (often now called MeRy) designed her first photobook "Eye on Breda", still 4 sale for only € 5,00

2004:

Being at the reünion of the class of her final year of elementary school 1983, MeRy started with her latest free work, a photoseries called '20'. She tried make a portrait of all classmates 20 years later and she photograped the last person december 1st. Journalist and writer Suzanne Rethans wrote the introduction for MeRy's second photobook '20' also check: www.mery.nl/20.htm or sign up for your own copy, only € 7,50

At the Art & Light Festival in april, of the Peelland College in Deurne, MeRy was asked to give a photo workshop. It inspired her do create a documentary series on how hands talk and other beautiful stills taken at weddings. In gallery Hang in Amsterdam MeRy took part in several exhibitions: 'Red' - 'Light' and 'Lust'.

There's also a growing interest from abroad, she had a couple of Top Ten hits at the ArtWanted site (USA) and also won the Art Wanted Wedding Photography Contest 2004. The famous Sharkphoto is still appealing but the beautiful 'Waiting' was nominated also, in the 1st Anual Black&White Spider Awards in Beverly Hills, California, USA.

2005:

February 26: Melanie meets Anton Corbijn, check www.mery.nl/corbijn

May 22: Melanie's 2nd photobook arrives, portraits by MeRy of her schoolmates from elementary school in Bakel. Presentation in café de Wekkerrr in Helmond.

July: 3rd prize winner in the Nikon International Photo Contest 2004-2005 with the photo 'Waiting'

September 17: start of the photofestival of Breda www.mery.nl/bredaphoto

October: on all winning photos are finally online

Opening Rabobank Halsteren with huge artwork up to 11 meters wide, combined photo printed & framed, 250cm high, 500cm wide and even bigger!

December 1: World Aids Day and the succesfull Art Auction by college Eunice Lieveld in Amsterdam auction.swf Melanie donates 'River of blood, River of Life'

2006:

Nominee at the International Color Awards, Masters of Color Photography.

Opening on August 6th the Contemporary Art Route by Tempus Arti 2006, MeRy's photo of teenmum Mary (16) was chosen to be the over-all image of the exhibition.

September 15th: opening retrospective exhibition MeRy 96/06 - Retrospective.
MeRy celebrates her first decennium as an artphotographer with this retrospective. Also a 3rd photobook will be out with the same title (MeRy 96/06 - Retrospective) with the famous Dutch writer Kluun's forword, which he wrote especially for MeRy. U can still order your copy here. € 10,- + shipping & handlingcosts.

Octobre: 5 Nominations at the IPA, International Photography Awards!

Plz take a look at my biography, all prizes are mentioned there.

was her latest exhibition in Oct. 2006. She was "in the business" for ten years, and published her 3rd photobook. The mainpage is shown as image with this article, and if you wanto order...plz go to the website and click 'ja ik wil'

My technique is the one when using your ... eyes! People hardly see, they just absorp images the stumble upon. My goal: to make people see the world in my eyes...and yes, I like Depeche Mode and Anton Corbijn. What vision he has!