CHAPTER IV. THE FOURTH HATCH | 2022-2032
In the coming years, memymom plans to embark on its fourth chapter, titled The Fourth Hatch, which was launched in 2022. The duo plans to make this a 10-year undertaking, and offer little in the way of explanation on what kind of imagery it will entail, yet, mention that it will, in effect, be a creative undertaking “where freedom reigns supreme”.
The Fourth Hatch, 2023 © memymom
ACT I. EINZELGÄNGER 2022
Marilène and Lisa, as artists with distinct approaches and styles, have a strong collaborative and symbiotic relationship. Their individuality as artists, while being different people who get along well and create separately, is a source of strength for their duo. They complement each other's strengths and weaknesses, producing remarkable works that showcase their unique talents while being cohesive as a whole. This unique combination of individuality and collaboration is evident in their works, reflecting their mutual respect and appreciation for each other's artistic vision.
Einzelganger is a significant work for Lisa De Boeck, as it is the first time she presents a solo work. The exhibition is part of her first exhibition at Villa Pérochon during ‘Les Rencontres 2022 de la jeune photographie internationale’ in Niort. Lisa has been using photography as a reflexive tool since a young age, often through self-portraiture. Her early impulses have continued to inspire her photographic work over the years, which focuses primarily on self-portraits taken while testing at home, traveling, or living alone. This selection of work showcases her docufictional and fairytale-like images that invite viewers to explore various interpretations.
ACT II. MEMYBOMBAY 2023 - ONGOING
The ongoing 'memybombay' project brings to life the people and artists of Bombay Beach through the creative lens of memymom. In this project, they've managed to produce a series of images that are both striking and deeply connected to the essence of Bombay Beach, fueled by their own vivid imagination. This work is a direct result of their time spent in the area, allowing their creativity to be amplified by the unique environment and its inhabitants. 'memybombay' not only showcases the artistic side of Bombay Beach but also reflects the genuine spirit of its community.
ACT III. THE FOURTH HATCH 2023
For the past three years, Lisa De Boeck has travelled from Belgium to Bombay Beach in California (US), becoming an integral part of the community. As one half of the artist duo memymom, alongside her mother, Marilène Coolens, she has embarked on an ongoing interdisciplinary project deeply intertwined with the essence of this unique place. Their work, including a photographic series featuring Bombay Beach residents, culminated in the unveiling of The Fourth Hatch at the previous Biennale, a project realised with the collaboration of artist Sean Guerrero.
The Fourth Hatch (2022–2032) marks the fourth chapter in De Boeck and Coolens’ artistic career, exploring intricate themes of memory, identity, and the passage of time. At the heart of this chapter is a crooked garden shed in their Brussels studio, a poignant symbol of life’s imperfections and the idiosyncratic nature of the world. This shed, representing both personal memories and family history as well as a meditation on the troubled times we live in, has been transformed into a sculpture and placed in the surreal, ephemeral setting of the Salton Sea.
In its new form, the shed transcends its initial symbolism. It becomes both a literal and metaphorical gateway, connecting disparate worlds and underscoring shared human experiences. It stands as a testament to the idea that art can transcend geographical and cultural boundaries, creating a space for reflection, understanding, and connection — and as proof of the overflowing challenges of our time.
One significant moment came when, upon returning to Brussels, Sean and I were notified that our shed had been featured in a CNN video report, used as the main image. The report was about the lithium deposits beneath the Salton Sea, and seeing our shed featured in that way felt profound. Someone captured the very essence of it when choosing it as the main image. No artist names mentioned — just the pure essence, the art of the statement, so to speak.” LDB
ACT IV. ART THEOREMA #3 2023
In a world shaped by transitions and transformations, Art Theorema #3 offers a powerful reflection on the global crises of our time. memymom is honoured to have their work included in the Fondazione Imago Mundi Collection, where their dialogue is now preserved alongside artists from around the world. Featuring 198 works by 170 artists from more than 80 countries, Art Theorema #3 captures crisis not as a purely destructive force, but as a catalyst for change. Each piece is presented in the distinctive 10 x 12 cm format that defines the Imago Mundi Collection.
Through a series of insightful interviews, curators Claudio Scorretti and Irina Ungurenau weave together the voices of the participating artists, exploring the multifaceted dimensions of crisis. These dialogues offer perspectives that challenge, inspire and provoke reflection on what it means to navigate and emerge from times of upheaval. More than a collection, Art Theorema #3 stands as a global conversation about resilience, transformation and the enduring spirit of creativity in the face of adversity.
Read the Full interview with memymom on the website of Fondazione Imago Mundi
ACT V. TOME II 2024
memymom is honoured to have their work included in « Images d’une collection - Tome II », the newly published catalogue documenting the Musée de la Photographie’s remarkable collection. Their artwork Unlocking the Locket, acquired in 2019 following memymom’s solo exhibition at the museum curated by Xavier Canonne, is featured in this prestigious volume. The catalogue reflects the continued growth of the museum’s holdings, which now comprise over 1.5 million negatives and 100,000 positive prints — a testament to its dedication to preserving and celebrating the art of photography. memymom extends heartfelt thanks to the Musée de la Photographie Charleroi for this recognition and for their ongoing support.
Get a copy through the following link
ACT VI. XIBT MAGAZINE 2024
Lisa De Boeck had the great pleasure of engaging in a conversation with Alice Zucca for the latest issue of XIBT Contemporary Art Magazine. In the interview, she discusses her work as an artist, as one half of the artistic duo memymom alongside her mother, Marilène Coolens, as well as her role as General and Artistic Director of Studio Jean Boghossian since 2022.
Read the Full Interview here
Lisa De Boeck on the cover of XIBT Magazine © memymom - Marilène Coolens
ACT VII. THE URBANAUT 2025
memymom is honoured to have been invited by Patrick Lee Hubbard, host of The Urbanaut Podcast, for a candid and down-to-earth conversation about their work as a mother-daughter artist duo. The invitation came following a kind recommendation from Steve Bisson. It took Lisa De Boeck a month to decide to take part, as she and Marilène Coolens have been navigating between their two creative “portals” since 2022, fine-tuning their intuition once more.
The conversation is now live in Episode 56: Art, Intuition, and Imagination – Inside Lisa De Boeck’s World with memymom.
ACT VIII. TRIYAD 2024
TRIYAD (www.triyad.art) has officially launched as a curatorial platform shaped by relation, intuition, and a commitment to honouring artistic voices worldwide. Rooted in care and conviction, TRIYAD makes its debut with a first project in the Middle East, a region whose cultural depth inspires a desire to listen and reflect rather than translate or commodify. Currently operating within memymom VZW, the platform lays the groundwork for future growth. Founded through the shared vision of Lisa De Boeck, Nadine El Guiddawy (Founding Partner of MIR’A Arts) and Alice Zucca (Founder of XIBT Magazine), TRIYAD is guided by the energy and insight of women instrumental to its creation. While its first chapter begins in the Middle East, the platform transcends geography, fostering dialogue across borders and amplifying voices with clarity, care and respect.
Its inaugural exhibition, Fragments of Folklore, conceived and curated by THAA, MIR’A Art and TRIYAD, will be held from 30 April to 12 May 2025 in Riyadh’s JAX District, featuring artists Rashid Al Khalifa (Bahrain), Lulwah Al Homoud (Saudi Arabia), Raeda Ashour (Saudi Arabia) and Hamra Abbas (Pakistan).
Art Plugged | Arts & Collections | The Luxury Report |The Vision Gazette | Beau Monde Traveller | Art Daily |The Upcoming
ACT IX. LAB27 2025
Lab27 in Treviso, Italy opens the exhibition “Photography is Fashion” on Friday, April 18, at 9:00 PM. For the first time, the works of the Belgian duo memymom, Alexandre Furcolin Filho, and Ali Ghorbani Moghaddam come together to offer insights into fashion within a media landscape saturated with images, commodified bodies, and technological dictates. Curated by Steve Bisson.
With “Photography is Fashion,” Lab27 aims to explore the connection between two distinctive and complementary phenomena of contemporary society. Just as we have witnessed the rise of image production in society as a direct reflection of an increasingly individualistic ethos, fashion has also evolved. Fashion is no longer merely a garment that fulfills the functional or social needs of the body; it has evolved into a tool for self-expression, shaping one’s identity, and enabling individuals to feel connected to a global visual discourse. In this context, photography becomes the attire of the individual, a reflection and testimony of their image, serving an ego that is increasingly diverse and multifaceted.
Photography intertwines with fashion in a linear and increasingly exponential way. Just as photography is abundant, reproducible, disposable, instant, emotional, and often trivial, so too is fashion—derived from the French façon—more a way of doing than of being. With its whimsical seasonality, prêt-à-porter, and “fast” trends, fashion can even end up discarded, much like the images that proliferate in the digital age. A vital appearance is what unites the need for fashion with its representation, creating the illusion of existence in one’s own way. Fashion becomes a photographic prophylactic for the individual, a manifestation of desires, dreams, and faith in beauty.
Fashion photography, when understood beyond its commercial facade, emerges as a phenomenology of society—of its cultural substrata and irreducible subjective drives. The overproduction of images, fueled by the internet and social media, is transforming how fashion is photographed, consumed, and interpreted, fostering a more critical reflection on the value of images and their transience in an ever-changing world.
Since 2004, Marilène Coolens and Lisa De Boeck, a mother-daughter duo, have formed a prolific artistic partnership under the name Memymom. The project began in the 1990s within a domestic setting where “home” transforms into a theatrical stage open to interpretation. Today, their dialogue expresses the full potential of a creative relationship built on visions, imaginaries, and values, but also on trust and mutual understanding. Lisa and Marilène are both photographer and model, set designers, stylists, and directors of this world, where new figures have started to appear as supporting characters. Memymom highlights the power of the relationships formed during the creative process. Each image becomes a meeting—also with the viewer. It is no longer merely a result, just as fashion is no longer just an outward appearance; it lives within the individual through other reflections and intimate truths. Fashion photography is not only a matter of aesthetics and construction. Its power also lies in the relationships that intertwine between the photographer and the subject.
Read the article for ARTRIBUNE, where writer Lara Gastaldi sat down with curator Steve Bisson to discuss the exhibition Photography is Fashion
ACT X. THE DAVID LYNCH COLLECTION 2025
memymom in Lot #64 from The David Lynch Collection at Julien*s Auction House. Photography Books (C) | A group of photography books from the personal home collection of David Lynch, bearing a "Studio David Lynch" stamp. The titles include collections from: Dennis Hopper, Derk Beckerman, Bill Henson, the Mutter Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Crafts, Maison Europeene de la Photographie, Museum Folkwang, memymom and more.
ACT XI. SM;)E AGAIN 2025
memymom is proud to be featured once again in Sm;)e again..., the second volume in the celebrated series by authors db Burkeman and Rich Browd from Blurring Books. Following the success of The Sm;)e Book and growing demand, this new edition marks the 60-year impact of the smiley face on art, music, pop culture and counterculture.
In the history of graphic design, no other symbol has embodied such duality. The smiley face has been embraced as a beacon of positivity while simultaneously serving as a subversive emblem in counterculture movements. Sm;)e again...presents an even more remarkable lineup of some of the world’s most potent visual communicators, introduced by the legendary Norman Cook, also known as Fatboy Slim.
This 66-page, 8” x 5.5” hardcover volume features: Arno Beck, Aurel Schmidt, B. Thom Stevenson, BANKSY, Barry McGee, Bráulio Amado, Chapman Brothers, Chris Johanson, Dan David, Dan McCarthy, David Shrigley, Destroy All Monsters, Ellen Jong, Elliott Routledge, Erik Foss, Fred Tomaselli, Gerhard Richter, Hunter Potter, James Joyce, Javier Jaen, Jim Jarmusch, John Rogers, Josh Reames, Justin Metz, Kellesimone Waits, Kenny Scharf, Lisa De Boeck & Marilène Coolens (memymom), Lucas Price, Luigi Brusciano, Marilyn Minter, Maurizio Cattelan / Pierpaolo Ferrari, Michael Clark, Misaki Kawai, Nate Lowman, Richard Phillips, Velvet Underground, Rob Pruitt, Scout Zabinski, Stephen Powers, Stuart Semple, Talking Heads, Tom Friedman, Wendy White, Ugo Rondinone, UFO907.
get your copy at Blurring Books
