Lydia Schouten

Forever Young marks half a century of artistic practice by Lydia Schouten (1948). Schouten’s work is visually powerful, colourful, and expressive. She combines video, photography, installation, and sound in her multilayered works. The title of the exhibition refers to her work Echoes of Death / Forever Young. In this video from 1986, the ideal of eternal youth, which dominates the media, takes centre stage.

For this exhibition, Lydia Schouten has created new work: The Birth of a New Species (2025). Comprising a kinetic sculpture, a soundscape, and a large-scale print, the piece evokes an imaginative, disorienting ‘underwater world’. The work aligns with hydrofeminism; a movement in which water symbolises interconnectedness and gender fluidity. Another highlight of the exhibition is the installation The Sleeping Beauties (1990), which addresses violence against women. This work is being shown for the first time in years after a recent restoration.

Image: Lydia Schouten, The Sleeping Beauties, 1990