Seascape nominee

Even before we could cross the ocean, we gazed at the horizon, imagining what might lie beyond. More water? More land? More emptiness? More life? More adventure? The horizon, on one hand, symbolizes a physical limitation for humans: we literally cannot see beyond where our eyes can reach. On the other hand, it represents the boundlessness of our mind. For when we gaze into the distance, our thoughts can embark on endless journeys to all corners of our limitless imagination.

For his project "Hope," Dutch photographer Maarten Vromans (1975) crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 2024. During his voyage, which followed the classic route between Southampton (UK) and New York (US), he photographed the horizon. By staring into the distance for days, he sought to capture the emotions of migrants who once made the "great crossing" and evoke how they might have felt in that space between departure and arrival, in the void between saying goodbye to an old life and preparing for a new existence.

Movement. That is at the heart of Dutch photographer Maarten Vromans' (1975, Rucphen) work and methods.

Whenever Vromans travels from one place to another – be it on foot, by boat or by train – he methodically records the altering terrain that passes him by. This could be the eroded buildings in an anonymous urban setting, but also the untouched landscape of a remote region, or the infinite distance on unspoiled open water.

Vromans likes to move through transition areas: the no-man’s-land between residential, commercial and working environments; between built-up, cultivated and untouched areas. There, in places that apparently no longer belong to anyone, he takes photos that are tranquil, abstract and picturesque, and in which the subject always remains recognisable.

At the start of his career, Vromans’ photos were published in New Dutch Photography Talent (now known as GUP New), an annual publication showcasing the work of one hundred upcoming Dutch photographers. Since then, his work has been shown at fairs and exhibitions in Rotterdam, Amsterdam, The Hague, Budapest and London, among others. After a successful crowdfunding campaign, he compiled his ‘Lucky Shots’ series into his first photo book in 2018. Vromans is represented by Zerp Galerie, Rotterdam,NL.