Mother Marilène Coolens photographed her daughter Lisa De Boeck from 1990 to 2003, while playing improvised theatrical sketches. On the bed, at the table or between the curtains in their house in Brussels, we watch the five-year-old girl growing up. De Brakke Grond presents from 20 September until 3 November the first ever exhibition of this analogue archive, which has been hidden away for years.
The Umbilical Vein deals with identity, metamorphosis and familial relationships. 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 name memymom since 2004.
The photos lay down a challenge and have an alienating quality. Are they a reflection of current developments, or an innocent mother-daughter ritual? The imaginative characters emerged from the artists’ experience of the 1990s. They found inspiration in passers-by on the street, icons and stereotypes. The fact we don’t see Lisa smile has a tragic aspect, but don’t be fooled. If you look more closely, you can see Catwoman and the First Lady, and even childlike traces of spaghetti Bolognese in the corner of her mouth.
The rough analogue images of a past era form a source of inspiration for the artists’ current work. De Brakke Grond asked memymom to add an image to this archive.
Opening & Crowdfunding
The exhibition opens on 19 September at 19h00, with legendary Flemish blues musician Roland Van Campenhout and visual artist Michaël Aerts. The crowdfunding for the photo book The Umbilical Vein, for which Saskia De Coster wrote a story, will also kick off on this evening. From this moment you can make your contribution to realisation of the book.
CREDITS
Production: Vlaams Cultuurhuis ‘de Brakke Grond’
Programmator: Veerle de Vreese
Concept & Scenography: memymom (Marilène Coolens & Lisa De Boeck)