Beach finds become art in Zandvoort

Exhibition BEACH PHOTOS by Ellen van Dam opened

On April 12, 2026, the exhibition BEACH PHOTOS by photographer Ellen van Dam was officially opened at the Zandvoorts Museum. The private viewing was conducted by interim director Fokelien Renckens-Stenneberg. The opening was followed by a personal speech from Bert Schumacher, Ellen van Dam’s husband. The exhibition can be seen from April 11 to May 25, 2026.

From waste to imagination

The exhibition displays intriguing images of seemingly worthless beach finds: broken objects, washed-up waste, and weathered materials. In Van Dam’s work, these are given a new meaning. Her photography revolves around transience and resilience. As she says herself: “My photos are about getting bruised along the way, being damaged, discarded, lost, and yet retaining one’s own luster.”

Her work aligns with what is also known as upcycling art: art that arises from reuse and transformation.

Originated on the French coast

The foundation for this series lies in Trouville, Normandy, where Van Dam began photographing stones and driftwood. Close to the ground, often crouching at the waterline, she developed an intense way of looking. Back in Haarlem, she continued this method and focused on washed-up objects such as rubber work gloves.

Straight to the museum

It is noteworthy that Van Dam skipped the traditional gallery path. Her work was discovered at home and quickly labeled as “museum-worthy.” An earlier photo, FALLEN MOON, was previously exhibited at the Kunstmuseum Den Haag during the Zomerexpo 2011.

Viewing without explanation

The exhibition invites visitors to look without explanation. Captions have deliberately not been placed. Van Dam wants the images to be experienced directly — as quiet moments of light, sea, and time.

With BEACH PHOTOS, Ellen van Dam proves that beauty is often hidden in the everyday — and even in what has been discarded.