The Benefits of Growing Older in Southern Europe
This painting brings Daan Koens back to where it all began. His celebrated Dinner Series centres on hospitality, shared meals and the art of living well. For the Beerschot curation, he returns to that world with three new works.
Here, Daan imagines his own Southern European dream: moving towards the sun, painting freely and perhaps one day no longer having to work at all. A life shaped by long afternoons, good food and the privilege of growing older without losing the desire to enjoy it.
At the centre sits a distinctly Southern European woman, though her exact origin remains open to interpretation. She smokes with effortless confidence, embodying the playful contradiction of a lifestyle filled with indulgence, yet associated with longevity.
A portrait of ageing not as decline, but as freedom.
Part of the series “Dinner Party” and directly connected to: Fruits de Mer + lkkr roddelen (leuk)
