Merlijn van de Sande

Merlijn van de Sande is a multidisciplinary artist who has been captivated by the power of imagination since childhood. She let her imagination run free from an early age and found ways to turn the worlds she envisioned into tangible images. What began as a journey of discovery through collecting materials and building worlds in her mind has since developed into an in-depth artistic exploration.

In her work, Merlijn translates invisible dimensions and inner reflections into landscapes that are made visible to all, poised at the boundary between reality and fantasy. Her dioramas, sculptures and digital artworks bring worlds to life that feel both familiar and dreamlike. By combining architectural and natural elements, Merlijn creates environments in which recognition and wonder converge.

Merlijn’s art invites viewers to join with her into a dreamlike world that resonates with personal memories and emotions. It offers an experience in which artist and viewer connect through a shared search for meaning and awareness.

Ever since I was a child, I have been fascinated by the magic of imagination. Whenever I encountered a story, I would let my imagination run free, creating in my mind a world in which the story unfolded. I had countless ideas, collected all kinds of materials and devised ways of turning my thoughts into tangible images. In this way, my personal journey of discovery in life and my artistic exploration gradually began to unfold.

The foundation of my creative process lies in an awareness of all that exists beyond physical reality and our sensory perception. I give form to the invisible, the intangible and, at the same time, the universal: the very essence of our existence. Through titles such as "My Shielded Heart", "Under the Surface", "The Temple of Awareness" and "House of Now", I seek to convey that we do not exist solely as physical beings, but are also part of a much greater consciousness. I give form to this idea in my work by creating a world in which, as in a dream, the natural and the supernatural, the conscious and the unconscious, and the possible and the impossible coexist.

I use contrasting materials and objects to bring together recognisable and imagined elements drawn from architecture and nature. This casts ‘reality’, as we know it, in a different light: existing and imagined worlds merge into one another. Everyday things, such as a house, a factory or a plant, thus acquire a supernatural meaning alongside their existing one.

I believe my way of working stems from an unconscious longing for a world without divisions between reality and imagination, death and life, transience and eternity. A longing for the cosmos, for a continuum in time and space in which everything comes together in the form of matter and energy.