Memymom is a collaboration between two artists, a mother (Marilène Coolens -1953) and her daughter (Lisa De Boeck – 1985). Two self-taught photographers who work and live in Brussels, Belgium. The cross-generational project began with what the pair describes as The Umbilical Vein. They are referring to the analogue image archive made from 1990 till 2003 of Marilène encouraging Lisa to express herself and to invent her own improvised theatre sketches.
These semi-staged dreamscape portraits developed into a mature conversation that deals not only with metamorphosis, personal identity, potential and a maternal relationship, but has evolved into a plea for sensual analysis and tragic romanticism. It reveals both the foundations of the close mother-daughter bond and the professional career of this artistic duo, who have worked together under the moniker Memymom since 2004.
The rough analogue images of a past era also form a source of inspiration for the artists’ current work which produces an emotional aesthetics that stops just short of the erotic; inventing mystery, exercising intimacy and creating a post-modern hyperlinked narrative where anything might unfold. The mother-daughter relationship means they can often work in a highly intuitive manner that allows the results to emerge naturally, even almost automatically.
Memymom has previously exhibited in Germany, Spain and Belgium. During the summer of 2013 they were part of Watou Art Festival, Maison Moderne at Air Antwerp and they also took part in the group exhibition Unnatural Selection during the Unseen Photo Fair Amsterdam. Their retrospective exhibition The Umbilical Vein was exhibited for the first time at The Flemish Arts Center de Brakke Grond in Amsterdam, The Netherlands late 2013. Their work was also exhibited at The Censored Exhibition of the Copenhagen Photo Festival 2014, of which Catwoman Uncensored 1994 was the festival’s main image. Today Memymom is represented by L A Noble gallery in London and they are also part of the first edition of FIX Photo 2016, an annual celebration of exemplary photography in all its forms which is produced and curated by LANG Director Laura Noble.
EXHIBITION
Memymom, Marilène Coolens & Lisa De Boeck
Artist include : Emily Allchurch, Deborah Baker, Tom Broadbent, Renée Chabot, Robert Clayton, Lisa Creagh, Lottie Davies, Venetia Dearden, Hendrik Faure, Memymom, Mischa Haller, Marta Kochanek, Holly Lynton, Alex Poll, Sarah Reuter, Chloe Rosser, Einar Sira and Chris Steele-Perkins. You can view their profiles by clicking on the images below.
FIX Photo is proud to collaborate with Schilt Gallery with four of their represented artists included in the exhibition. These artists are, Lucia Ganieva, Cig Harvey, Yola Monakhov Stockton, and Edward Thompson
Curated by L A Noble Gallery (LANG) Director Laura Noble
From 13 to 22 May, 2016
Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf
Bargehouse Street, South Bank
London SE1 9PH
United Kingdom
http://www.lauraannnoble.com/fixphoto
http://www.memymom.com
