Marilène Coolens and Lisa De Boeck are MEMYMOM, an artist duo of mother and daughter, who have been working together since 2004. MEMYMOM is also the title of their book published by Ludion, in collaboration with the Musée de la Photographie de la Federation Wallonie-Bruxelles, at Charleroi. The book has a hard cover and it contains three text sections, by Kurt Snoekx and Jo Coucke, introducing the chapters, and a series of images made over the span of a twenty five year period. There are three chapters in the book: The Umbilical Vein, The Digital Decade and Somewhere Under the Rainbow.

© MEMYMOM, "Nothing is What It Seems", 1993. From The Umbilical Veil (1990 - 2003)

The book is a selection of images which were created in different age chapters through the lives of the duo. The first chapter, The Umbilical Vein is introduced by a text of Jo Coucke and it is a selection of 29 images taken between the years 1990 and 2003. The section takes us through images of little Lisa being playful and creative while waiting to grow up. Dressing up, make up, are Lisa’s part in this unusual collective. Marilène is the composer of the scene; a minimalist and tight background allowing the principal character to shine.

© MEMYMOM, "I Eat Alone", 2013. From The Digital Decade (2010 - 2015)

The second part of the book is entitled The Digital Decade 2010-2015. The introduction text by Jo Coucke takes us through this more conceptual phase of the duo before we discover them. The playful and innocent game of mother-daughter has now taken a different course. They, now, work on series, elevating their practice to a more conceptual level. Twenty-eight digital images taken from several series make up this part of the book. Marilène enters the field in front of the camera for the first time. Alone or with her daughter she is present now also as a model. Another change in their visual work is the broadening of the cadre. Some elements help us identify a room, the outside; as in The Umbilical Vein the cadre was mostly pattern or color oriented.

© MEMYMOM, "Louise Gallery", 2016. From Somewhere Under The Rainbow (2016 - 2018)

The third part, Somewhere under the Rainbow started in 2016 and is currently an ongoing project. There is, once more an introductory text by Jo Coucke. This section contains a series of self portraits made by the duo separately; an exploration, a dialogue between mother and daughter, which so eloquently demonstrates their different and respectful personalities through 29 images.

© still image of the bool MEMYMOM, published by Ludion

© still image of the bool MEMYMOM, published by Ludion

© still image of the bool MEMYMOM, published by Ludion

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LINKS

MEMYMOM 
Book available from here