A vividly immersive room assembles fashion editorials, magazine covers, and large-format prints into a dense visual collage. Saturated colours, bold typography, and mirrored surfaces amplify the sensory intensity, while a central display table of archival material grounds the spectacle, revealing the interplay between commercial imagery and conceptual experimentation in the duo’s practice.

Inez & Vinoodh's Sweeping Retrospective in The Hague Frames Photography as an Act of Love

Words by Eric David

The Hague, The Netherlands

“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving.”  Mid-century American photographer Aaron Siskind’s observation finds a sustained, deeply personal expression in the work of Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin. For the Dutch-born duo, photography has long functioned as a testament to love—a practice of truly seeing, valuing and, ultimately, cherishing one another. It is this ethos that anchors Can Love Be a Photograph – 40 Years of Inez & Vinoodh (March 21 - September 6, 2026), a retrospective now on view at Kunstmuseum Den Haag in the Netherlands. Conceived as a kaleidoscopic love letter to their shared life and four-decade-long collaboration, the exhibition unfolds across 18 galleries, bringing together works that span art, fashion and portraiture. Rather than tracing a chronological trajectory, the curatorial approach favours thematic constellations that highlight recurring motifs, allow images from different periods to enter into dialogue, and foreground the porous boundaries between art and commerce in the artists’ practice.

A close-up black-and-white portrait of Alexander McQueen wearing a face mask printed with a skeletal grin, partially concealing his expression. The stark lighting emphasises skin texture and the unsettling contrast between human gaze and graphic distortion, reflecting themes of identity, concealment and constructed personas.

Inez & Vinoodh, Alexander McQueen, 2004. Courtesy of Inez & Vinoodh, from Can Love Be a Photograph: 40 years Inez & Vinoodh.

A couple embraces beneath a sheer red veil on an empty road stretching into a vast, arid landscape. The translucent fabric blurs their contours, fusing bodies into a single form while saturating the scene with colour. The receding horizon line and cinematic composition evoke both isolation and connection, framing love as an expansive, transformative force.

Inez & Vinoodh, Think Love, 2025. Shot on Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max. Courtesy of Inez & Vinoodh, from Can Love Be a Photograph: 40 years Inez & Vinoodh.

Three large-scale photographs align horizontally, their vivid desert landscapes punctuated by a translucent red veil enveloping entwined figures. The intense chromatic contrast against the neutral gallery backdrop amplifies the emotional charge, while a viewer’s presence introduces scale, reinforcing the work’s tension between intimacy, performance, and cinematic staging.

Exhibition view, Can Love Be a Photograph - 40 Years of Inez & Vinoodh at Kunstmuseum Den Haag. Photo: Gerrit Schreurs.

Since meeting in the mid-1980s, Inez and Vinoodh have developed a distinctive visual language where the familiar slips into the uncanny. At times exuberantly sensual, at others disquietingly surreal, they create striking images whose seductive surface belies a probing intellectual inquiry. Pioneers of digital image-making, they have consistently used manipulation not for sophistication but for disruption, crafting images that unsettle conventions of beauty while interrogating themes of identity, desire and the fluidity of the self.

Crucially, their practice has always operated across two seemingly distinct but mutually reinforcing spheres: art and fashion. Groundbreaking editorials for publications such as Vogue, Visionaire and The New York Times Magazine, alongside campaigns for houses including Chanel, Dior and Louis Vuitton, coexist with gallery-based works that test the limits of representation. Rather than treating these as separate outputs, Inez and Vinoodh allow each to inform the other, collapsing the boundary between commercial imagery and conceptual inquiry.

A surreal fashion tableau stages two models astride bicycles against a backdrop of a rocket launch, merging Americana spectacle with editorial artifice. Glossy textures, saturated colour, and precise styling heighten the image’s hyperreal quality, while the improbable juxtaposition underscores Inez & Vinoodh’s playful interrogation of fantasy and constructed desire.

Inez & Vinoodh, Well Basically Basuco is Coke Mixed with Kerosine... – The Face Magazine, 1994.

In a tall, light-filled room, photographic works are evenly distributed across three walls, creating an immersive yet restrained environment. A visitor pauses mid-step, activating the otherwise quiet space. The images range from staged fashion tableaux to observational scenes, their crisp framing and saturated colour palettes heightening a sense of constructed reality.

Exhibition view, Can Love Be a Photograph - 40 Years of Inez & Vinoodh at Kunstmuseum Den Haag. Photo: Gerrit Schreurs.

A close-up of a couple kissing, their faces pressed together in a moment of quiet intimacy. The warm, muted palette and soft focus imbue the image with a painterly quality, while the unguarded gesture foregrounds themes of desire, connection and the corporeal presence of love.

Inez & Vinoodh, Me Kissing Vinoodh (Lovingly), 1999. Courtesy of Inez & Vinoodh, from Can Love Be a Photograph: 40 years Inez & Vinoodh.

A graphic installation of repeated exhibition posters forms a bold, grid-like backdrop, their layered typography and red motifs creating a rhythmic visual field. At its centre, a doorway frames a photographic portrait, aligning architecture and image into a single axis and reinforcing the exhibition’s exploration of perception, repetition, and visual identity.

Exhibition view, Can Love Be a Photograph - 40 Years of Inez & Vinoodh at Kunstmuseum Den Haag. Photo: Gerrit Schreurs.

In this iconic work by Inez & Vinoodh, two figures merge in a kiss, one body rendered in glossy, painted red that dissolves the boundary between flesh and surface. The stark studio backdrop and sharp lighting heighten the tactile quality of skin and pigment, transforming intimacy into a sculptural, almost surreal act of fusion.

Inez & Vinoodh, Me Kissing Vinoodh (Eternally), 2010. Courtesy of Inez & Vinoodh, from Can Love Be a Photograph: 40 years Inez & Vinoodh.

The exhibition opens with Me Kissing Vinoodh (Passionately) (1999), introducing what the artists regard as its central motif: the kiss. Recurring throughout their work since the late 1990s, the kiss is not treated as a fleeting gesture but as a state of physical and emotional fusion—the point at which two individuals begin to dissolve into one another. In this early work, Vinoodh has been digitally removed from the frame, leaving Inez suspended in an uncanny act of contact, her distorted posture registering both presence and absence. A later work, Me Kissing Vinoodh (Eternally) (2010), intensifies this dynamic: Vinoodh appears in black while Inez’s body, painted in a visceral red, appears as if her skin has been ripped off, staging intimacy as a space where desire and vulnerability converge.

A symmetrical gallery view centres on Inez & Vinoodh’s Me Kissing Vinoodh Eternally, framed within a doorway like a threshold between spaces. Flanked by minimalist portraits against white grounds, the vivid red, hyperreal embrace punctures the otherwise restrained palette, foregrounding intimacy as both spectacle and conceptual axis within the exhibition’s spatial choreography.

Exhibition view, Can Love Be a Photograph - 40 Years of Inez & Vinoodh at Kunstmuseum Den Haag. Photo: Gerrit Schreurs.

If the kiss articulates intimacy, the exhibition’s central section, The Psychomorphic Phenomenon, examines the body as a site of psychological tension. Bringing together three early-1990s series, this section foregrounds the duo’s pioneering use of digital manipulation to visualise emotional states.

In Final Fantasy (1993), children’s faces are unsettlingly altered with adult expressions, collapsing innocence into something disturbingly performative. Thank You Thighmaster (1993) presents gender-neutral, almost mannequin-like bodies, digitally sealed and smoothed into ambiguous forms, anticipating contemporary anxieties around virtual identity and bodily perfection. Meanwhile, The Forest (1995) subtly destabilises gender codes through minimal shifts in styling and posture, producing portraits that resist clear categorisation. Together, these works reveal an early awareness of how digital technologies would reshape not only images, but also our understanding of selfhood and desire.

A young red-haired child in a pale pink leotard crouches against a stark white background, her expression poised between innocence and theatricality. The high-key lighting and isolated composition lend the image a hyperreal, almost artificial quality, subtly unsettling conventional notions of childhood representation.

Inez & Vinoodh, Final Fantasy – Wendy, 1993. Courtesy of Inez & Vinoodh, from Can Love Be a Photograph: 40 years Inez & Vinoodh.

A man in a pale yellow polo reclines against a white backdrop, his body twisted and expression exaggerated in mid-laughter. The clean studio setting contrasts with the contorted pose, amplifying a sense of playful distortion that borders on the uncanny, a hallmark of the duo’s early experimental work.

Inez & Vinoodh, The Forest – Andy, 1995. Courtesy of Inez & Vinoodh, from Can Love Be a Photograph: 40 years Inez & Vinoodh.

A tightly framed portrait captures a reclining figure in a soft yellow knit, their body folded into the picture plane with an almost sculptural intimacy. The neutral backdrop and even studio lighting flatten depth, drawing attention to skin texture, gesture, and the quiet tension between vulnerability and compositional control.

Inez & Vinoodh, The Forest – Marcel, 1995. Courtesy of Inez & Vinoodh, from Can Love Be a Photograph: 40 years Inez & Vinoodh.

Set against a sunlit urban street, a female model in a soft beige ensemble strides forward as a male figure behind her obscures his face with a crumpled, metallic fabric. The scene juxtaposes everyday realism with a surreal interruption, heightened by saturated tones and a cinematic, slightly disquieting atmosphere.

Inez & Vinoodh, Christy Turlington & Dick Page – Nova, 2000. Courtesy of Inez & Vinoodh, from Can Love Be a Photograph: 40 years Inez & Vinoodh.

Two photographic works—one intimate and chromatically restrained, the other expansive and cinematic—anchor a pared-back gallery wall. A doorway reveals a monochrome portrait beyond, creating a layered spatial composition where perspectives overlap, echoing the artists’ interest in narrative construction and the fluid boundaries between staged and candid imagery.

Exhibition view, Can Love Be a Photograph - 40 Years of Inez & Vinoodh at Kunstmuseum Den Haag. Photo: Gerrit Schreurs.

Set against a muted seascape, a trio—Rihanna, A$AP Rocky and their child—moves across wet sand in a composition that balances intimacy and iconography. The wind-swept styling and subdued palette lend a cinematic softness, while the figures’ gestures convey both familial tenderness and carefully staged editorial poise.

Inez & Vinoodh, A$AP Rocky, RZA & Rihanna – Vogue UK, 2023. Courtesy of Inez & Vinoodh, from Can Love Be a Photograph: 40 years Inez & Vinoodh.

Elsewhere, the exhibition turns to portraiture and editorial production. A dedicated gallery immerses visitors in a dense visual field of magazine spreads, campaigns and publications, underscoring the collaborative nature of fashion image-making.

In another gallery, monumental portraits of figures such as Prince and Kate Moss convey a near-iconic aura, their subjects rendered at once familiar and strangely untethered. Interspersed among them, still-life compositions of flowers captured in various stages of bloom or decay, are treated as subjects of equal presence. Inviting visitors to read them as portraits, they extend the exhibition’s interest in growth, transformation and the latent energy that animates both people and nature.

An extreme close-up of Kate Moss emphasises natural skin texture, parted lips, and a direct, unguarded gaze. Soft yet directional lighting reveals subtle tonal shifts across the face, while the absence of contextual detail heightens the portrait’s immediacy, positioning the subject between raw presence and refined editorial image-making.

Inez & Vinoodh, Kate, 1999. Courtesy of Inez & Vinoodh, from Can Love Be a Photograph: 40 years Inez & Vinoodh.

Three botanical specimens are isolated against a pale ground, their stems, roots, and blooms presented with scientific precision. The interplay of organic forms—curved petals, exposed soil, and elongated stems—creates a delicate composition, where vivid greens and purples underscore the tension between fragility, decay, and formal elegance.

Inez & Vinoodh, 1 Pitcher Plant, 1 Purple Iris, 1 Lady Slipper, 2013. Courtesy of Inez & Vinoodh, from Can Love Be a Photograph: 40 years Inez & Vinoodh.

A visitor moves across a wall of large-format works, where a monochrome portrait of Prince is juxtaposed with close-up floral imagery and a fashion portrait. The restrained gallery setting sharpens the contrast between subjects, while the human presence in motion activates the space, underscoring the works’ shared focus on transformation, identity, and embodied presence.

Exhibition view, Can Love Be a Photograph - 40 Years of Inez & Vinoodh at Kunstmuseum Den Haag. Photo: Gerrit Schreurs.

A spacious gallery juxtaposes portraiture and floral compositions in evenly spaced, large-scale prints. Soft, diffused ceiling light enhances the clarity of each image, while a solitary bench introduces a contemplative pause. The arrangement encourages a reading of flowers as subjects of presence and transformation, equal in intensity to the human figures nearby.

Exhibition view, Can Love Be a Photograph - 40 Years of Inez & Vinoodh at Kunstmuseum Den Haag. Photo: Gerrit Schreurs.

Rendered in black and white, Prince stands frontally, his hand resting over his chest in a gesture that reads as both intimate and emblematic. The intricate layering of textiles—sequins, prints, and embellishments—contrasts with the austere backdrop, while the monochrome palette amplifies the portrait’s graphic clarity and quiet intensity.

Inez & Vinoodh, Prince, 2013. Courtesy of Inez & Vinoodh, from Can Love Be a Photograph: 40 years Inez & Vinoodh.

A sharply lit studio portrait presents Taylor Swift in a sleek black silhouette, her pose offset by a long-haired cat draped across her shoulders. The contrast between the animal’s soft fur and the garment’s smooth texture introduces a tactile duality, while the neutral backdrop foregrounds the image’s poised, almost sculptural composition.

Inez & Vinoodh, Taylor Swift and Benjamin – Time Magazine, 2023. Courtesy of Inez & Vinoodh, from Can Love Be a Photograph: 40 years Inez & Vinoodh.

What emerges across these bodies of work is a sustained interrogation of photographic truth. Long before the current proliferation of AI-generated imagery and deepfakes, Inez and Vinoodh were already exposing how easily the medium can be manipulated and how willingly we suspend disbelief. With that said, their work resists cynicism. If anything, it insists on the opposite: that within this instability lies the possibility of connection. Through their lens, humanity is embraced in all its ambiguities and imperfections, fostering empathy and affirming love as a generative, connective force.

A symmetrical gallery arrangement centres a linear sequence of portraits, framed by built-in seating that anchors the space architecturally. The measured spacing and consistent scale establish a steady visual rhythm, while the diverse subjects—stylised, performative, and intimate—underscore the fluid interplay between fashion imagery and psychological portraiture.

Exhibition view, Can Love Be a Photograph - 40 Years of Inez & Vinoodh at Kunstmuseum Den Haag. Photo: Gerrit Schreurs.

  • A striking black-and-white portrait captures Lady Gaga and Inez Van Lamsweerde in a close embrace, their faces and bodies softly illuminated against a neutral background. The intimate composition, combined with subtle styling and direct gazes, conveys tenderness and vulnerability while blurring the boundaries between fashion image and emotional portrait.

    Inez & Vinoodh, Gaga & Inez – V Magazine, 2015. Courtesy of Inez & Vinoodh, from Can Love Be a Photograph: 40 years Inez & Vinoodh.

  • A black-and-white portrait of Björk disrupted by a prismatic collage overlay, multiplying the subject’s eye into fragmented reflections. From this crystalline form, a vividly coloured, teardrop-like graphic cascades downward, merging digital manipulation with portraiture to evoke emotional intensity and psychological multiplicity.

    Inez & Vinoodh, Björk – Interview Magazine with M/M (Paris), 2009. Courtesy of Inez & Vinoodh, from Can Love Be a Photograph: 40 years Inez & Vinoodh.

  • In this intimate monochrome portrait, Natalie Portman gazes slightly off-frame as a hand gently presses against her forehead. The soft lighting and close cropping heighten the tension between vulnerability and control, while the tactile gesture introduces an ambiguous narrative of care, restraint or intervention.

    Inez & Vinoodh, Natalie Portman – New York Times Magazine, 2005. Courtesy of Inez & Vinoodh, from Can Love Be a Photograph: 40 years Inez & Vinoodh.

A vividly immersive room assembles fashion editorials, magazine covers, and large-format prints into a dense visual collage. Saturated colours, bold typography, and mirrored surfaces amplify the sensory intensity, while a central display table of archival material grounds the spectacle, revealing the interplay between commercial imagery and conceptual experimentation in the duo’s practice.

Exhibition view, Can Love Be a Photograph - 40 Years of Inez & Vinoodh at Kunstmuseum Den Haag. Photo: Gerrit Schreurs.

Inez & Vinoodh's Sweeping Retrospective in The Hague Frames Photography as an Act of Love