Ten’s To See: ‘Can Love Be A Photograph: 40 Years Of Inez & Vinoodh’ At Kunstmuseum, Netherlands

Prepare to have your heartstrings tugged – a major retrospective celebrating the loving, dedicated partnership of Dutch-American photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, more commonly referred to by their first names, has just opened its doors. Showing in the Netherlands at the Kunstmuseum The Hague and curated by Willemijn van der Zwaan, Can Love Be A Photograph celebrates the pair’s 40-year long collaboration in life and art. 

Inez and Vinoodh’s meeting was somewhat out of a romance novel. Whilst students at the Vogue Academy of Fashion Design in Amsterdam, the pair locked eyes in a life-drawing class (Inez, the observer and Vinoodh, the model) and they became inseparable from there. Since then, their artistic collaboration has led them to shoot for major fashion houses such as Chanel, Dior and Gucci, work with cultural juggernauts like Lady Gaga on music videos for songs like Applause, as well as regular contributions to the biggest magazines about.

The show, which traverses fashion, art and politics, is spread across 18 rooms intertwined within the building, each delving into specific themes like gender, beauty and identity. Challenging longstanding notions of perfection that have persisted in the fashion and photography industries, each space positions self-portraiture as a mirror into life’s more intimate experiences. It’s thematic curation encourages visitors to ask themselves about the emotions evoked by each image.

From left: Inez & Vinoodh, Me #04, 1998, Inez & Vinoodh, Me #02, 1998

One such example is The Kiss, which showcases Inez and Vinoodh’s passion through a snapshot of a shared kiss. A recurring motif in their work since 1999, this photograph and the ones that followed explore the deep, emotional connection that the two share. For the first time, fans are treated to the display of three esteemed works from the Me Kissing… series alongside their newest iteration, named Think Love, which depicts the couple’s son, Charles Matadin and partner Natalie Brumley passionately kissing in a cultural reference to Gustav Klimt’s famous painting The Kiss.

A celebration of their commercial work is featured in its own gallery room, with a focus on print medium and portraits of public figures such as Billie Eilish and Kendrick Lamar. As their personal and work lives became irrevocably intertwined, Can Love Be A Photograph investigates one of the most prevalent photographic collaborations of the 21st century. 

Accompanying the retrospective is a catalogue of the same title which includes an exclusive interview with Tilda Swinton, where the actress discusses the photographers’ impact. Featuring essays by academics such as Donatien Grau and Francesco Bonami, the book offers reflective notes on the artists’ work from others within the creative sphere. As Italian art curator and book-contributor Bonami has said, the duo have “created a reality that speaks of our ungraspable inner world and its relationship with our perceptions and imagination. A world in which love and passion, once they encounter each other, cannot separate any longer”. We couldn’t have said it any better ourselves.

Photography courtesy of Inez & Vinoodh. ‘Can Love Be A Photograph: 40 Years Of Inez & Vinoodh’ is open at Kunstmuseum, Netherlands until September 6. 

@inezandvinoodh