Behind the sand sculptures of the Zandspektakel Julianadorp stands the WeLoveSand team: a group of creative makers with over 25 years of experience in the world of sand art.
INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY – What makes WeLoveSand so special is that the team consists of sand artists from all kinds of countries. Each artist – or as they call themselves: carver – has his or her own specialty. One is very strong in anatomy and knows how to conjure people and animals from sand to lifelike detail, while another excels in architecture, details, or graceful forms. Together, they form a strong and versatile team.
JOB SATISFACTION AT THE CENTER – WeLoveSand builds large sand sculpture exhibitions for public events, but also creates commercial sculptures for well-known brands such as Red Bull and McDonald's. In addition, they organize team-building activities for companies: building together, laughing, and creating something special out of sand. This proves to be a surprisingly fun company outing every time.
CHAMPIONSHIPS & FIRSTS – Also noteworthy: the WLS team organized multiple editions of the Dutch and European Sand Sculpture Championships. Who knows… maybe we’ll miss an edition in Julianadorp someday? Additionally, WeLoveSand held a genuine first for years with the world’s first Sand Hotel – how special is that!
STORIES OF SAND – What the team particularly enjoys is working with storytelling: sand sculptures that truly tell a story. And you will soon see this reflected in Julianadorp. The sculptures will have a clear link to the village and the surrounding area, with examples such as the beach and dunes, flowers and flower bulbs, water sports, cycling tourists, nautical elements, and, of course, the typical atmosphere of Julianadorp itself.
DURABLE – In recent years, WeLoveSand has also been increasingly focusing on sustainability. Sand is reused wherever possible, and if Dutch artists are available, the team prefers to work with them. If someone has to travel from afar due to special expertise or the exciting international mix, WLS tries to cleverly combine that journey with multiple projects. In short: worldly experience, top creative artists, and a healthy dose of enthusiasm… that bodes well for Julianadorp!
Jeroen Lawyer
Jeroen Advocaat is 48 years old, hails from Gorredijk, and has been active in the world of sand sculpture for no less than 23 years. This Dutch artist works not only with sand but also with pumpkins, ice, clay, and digital techniques. His love for the craft began thanks to a classmate from art school, and he hasn't stopped since. Jeroen has also made his mark in competitions, achieving impressive results in Sneek (Dutch Champion!) and even twice in Rorschach, Switzerland. After Julianadorp, he travels on to a competition in Garderen. In his spare time, he enjoys watching movies and reading comic books—a wonderful combination of imagination and adventure that actually fits perfectly with his work as a sand artist.
Maxim Gazendam
Maxim Gazendam is 44 years old, lives in Kortenhoef, and has been making sand sculptures since 1998. What once started as a casual afternoon workshop grew from a hobby into a full-time profession. Besides sand, Maxim also works with ice and has quite a few impressive titles to his name, including Dutch Champion, European Champion, and prizes at the American Open Championships. After Julianadorp, he travels on to Garderen in the Veluwe region. In addition to building sculptures, Maxim is nowadays also increasingly involved as an exhibition organizer. Designing, organizing, media: he enjoys everything involved in an event. That makes him not only an artist but also a true all-round creative behind the scenes.
Wilfred Stijger
Wilfred Stijger from Pieterburen is one of the true veterans of the craft: he has been making sand sculptures since 1986/1987. Besides sand, he also works with snow, ice, concrete, and virtual clay. His fascination with the craft began with a booklet by sand artist Pieter Wiersma from the library, although he was actually already hooked before that. After the project in Julianadorp, he continues with their own mini-sand exhibition in Pieterburen, guiding tours on the mudflats, and a competition in Parksville. Wilfred is clearly someone with a lot of creative energy: he enjoys making tools, loves hobby engineering, painting, doing odd jobs around the house, and 3D drawing in Rhino and Grasshopper. A true maker, in the broadest sense of the word.
Viacheslav Iemelianenko
Viacheslav Iemelianenko is 53 years old, of Ukrainian descent, and currently lives in Krakow, Poland. He has been working as a sand artist for 15 years and also has extensive experience with other materials such as concrete, bronze, plastic, metal, clay, ice, and snow. His broad knowledge of materials is reflected in his work: powerful, technical, and versatile. He has also won prizes, including at a sand festival in Zandvoort. His interest in sand arose from a curiosity about new materials, after which he was invited to the Netherlands for a sculpture project. Since then, sand has become an important part of his artistic life.
Martijn Rijerse
Martijn Rijerse from Rotterdam is an absolute veteran of the trade. The 52-year-old artist has been creating sand sculptures since 1996 and has won more than 20 prizes over the years. His trophy cabinet is impressive, including a 2nd place solo in Rhode Island (USA) in 2025, a 1st place at the Dutch Championship in Zandvoort in 2021, a win in Tottori, Japan, and a title at the World Doubles Championship in Federal Way, USA. In addition to sand, Martijn also works with Styrofoam, polyurethane foam, snow, ice, concrete, and clay. His career began when, as an architecture student in Delft, he saw a flyer for a sand competition in Scheveningen. He and his friends came in last, but the seed had been planted. After Julianadorp, he continued with the design of the main stage at Tomorrowland, and after that, another competition awaits in Virginia, USA. At home, he shares his life with his wife, whom he met through the sand world, their three children, six chickens, and a cat. And wherever he works, he always tries to discover the surroundings by running. Because, as he beautifully demonstrates himself: sand is not just about art, but also about adventure.
Edith van de Wetering
Edith van de Wetering, born in 1973, lives in Pieterburen and has been working with sand since 1991, when she started in Scheveningen. In addition to sand, she also works with snow, ice, Styrofoam, and concrete. Over the years, Edith has won numerous awards. Her most recent success came just last November during the doubles competition at Siesta Key, where she and Wilfred won both first prize and the Sculptors Choice. Her story of how she got into the profession is beautiful: she once missed a train in The Hague, saw a sand sculpture being built at the station, and was forced to stay and watch for an hour. The next day, an advertisement appeared at the university in Delft: people wanted. The rest is history. After Julianadorp, Edith traveled on to Parksville in Canada, and she also works as a mudflat walking guide. And at home? Thirty chickens await her there, including even two disabled roosters; that alone makes her story unforgettable.
Anique Kuizenga
Anique Kuizenga from Groningen is 51 years old and will celebrate a special anniversary in 2026: her 30th sand anniversary. She started in 1996 and, in addition to sand, works primarily with snow and ice, but clay, Styrofoam, cheese, and butter are also part of her repertoire. After becoming a mother, she almost stopped competing and focused mainly on commercial commissions. Nevertheless, she made a successful brief comeback in 2023 on the Canadian television program Race Against The Tide, where she won first place together with her sculpting partner. She had previously collected an impressive list of prizes, including in Scheveningen, Makkum, Lemmer, Singapore, and Valladolid. Anique started working with sand during her time at art school, when a friend convinced her to participate in the festival in Scheveningen. She instantly fell in love with the material and with project life. After Julianadorp, her next project awaits her in Germany. Moreover, in the winter, she is busy with her second passion: ice sculptures. For example, she has been a designer and artistic director of the Dutch Ice Sculpture Festival for 16 years, and she served (together with colleague Alec) on the jury of the well-known TV program IJMEESTERS on SBS6. When she is not working, she enjoys traveling, hiking, cooking, and baking. To her, therefore, work does not feel like work, but like pure passion.
Novel
Roman is 46 years old, holds Ukrainian nationality, and currently lives in Garderen, the Netherlands. He has been creating sand sculptures for seven years and also works with other materials such as clay, plasticine, wood, bronze, silver, and gold. He is, therefore, a true all-round sculptor with a broad artistic foundation. He has not yet won any awards for his sand sculptures himself, but through friends already in the field, he was encouraged to enter the world of sand. And with success, as he is now a valued member of the team. After the project in Julianadorp, Roman will continue working in Garderen. His story beautifully illustrates how passion sometimes begins through other people and subsequently grows into a profession in itself.
Alec Messchaert
Alec Messchaert is 44 years old, lives in The Hague, and has been involved in the sand world since 1999. In doing so, he has built up 27 years of experience in the trade. In addition to sand, he sometimes works with ice, and once won a third prize in Russia for ice sculptures. Together with Anique, Alec served on the jury of the well-known TV program IJMEESTERS on SBS6.
However, his strength lies not necessarily in carving himself, but rather in organizing large sand projects and events. Alec entered the world of sand thanks to a colleague, Lipkje Ferwerda, who took him as a schoolboy to a project involving a then-current European record for the tallest sand sculpture. From that moment on, things moved quickly: within a year, he was already working on projects in Belgium, Germany, France, and even China. Now, many years later, he runs his own sand sculpture company and has expanded his field of work worldwide, in countries such as Colombia, the United States, Canada, Spain, Romania, China, Israel, Indonesia, Russia, the Czech Republic, etc. etc.!
He doesn't yet know exactly what his next project will be after Julianadorp; that is also part of the job. However, he is really looking forward to a beautiful and sustainable project in Cape Verde, together with the local population. Outside of work, Alec enjoys sailing and works part-time in higher education as a lecturer in Leisure & Event Management, where he takes great pleasure in inspiring young people for the events industry.
Ferenc Monostori
48-year-old Ferenc Monostori hails from Budapest, Hungary, and has been creating sand sculptures since 2003. Before and alongside this, he also worked with bronze and stone, which clearly demonstrates the breadth of his sculptural background. Ferenc has won various awards, including at festivals in Palanga, Jelgava, Crostal Key, and at the championship in Fort Myers, USA, where he received the Sculptors Choice. His entry into the world of sand began during an exhibition of his stone sculptures in Portugal, where he was invited to participate in a sand project at FIESA. After all those international experiences, at home he is above all simply a proud father: Ferenc is the father of four sons.
Johannes Hogebrink
Johannes Hogebrink is 49 years old, lives in Amsterdam, and has over 20 years of experience with sand sculptures. In addition, he also works with bronze, stone, clay, and metal. He has won numerous competitions around the world, often in collaboration with other sculptors, something he himself perhaps considers the most beautiful reward. Johannes actually stumbled into the craft by chance: he was looking for work, took a sand sculpture course, and joined a project in Brighton, England. Since then, he has traveled the world to create sculptures. And beyond the sand, he has a remarkable story: he once made a film about how he taught his dog to fly. That film is called De Vliegende Hond (The Flying Dog) and can be watched online. That alone makes him an artist with a completely unique perspective on the world.
Sem Loohuis
Sem Loohuis is 30 years old, lives in The Hague, and is an indispensable force behind the scenes in the sand world. For six years, he has worked on projects as part of the technical department and as the right-hand man of every organization; work that often begins months before the first shovel of sand is poured. He is now also busy learning to make sand sculptures himself, under the guidance of artists in Friesland and Belgium, among other places. He hasn't won any prizes yet, but he did help organize and supervise the European Championship in Belgium — something he looks back on with great pleasure. His partner also works as an event organizer in the sand world, so you could say that sand and events have a firm grip on him. After Julianadorp, Sem will likely remain in Europe, with The Hague as his base, before leaving for Cape Verde later this year to set up new projects and events there. Incidentally, Sem is originally a physiotherapist!
