Lidwien van de Ven has won several awards for her photographic work and installations. She participated in Garden of Learning, Busan Biennale, South Korea (2012); documenta 12, Kassel (2007); and Zones of Contact, Sydney Biennale (2006).

Van de Ven has had solo exhibitions at Gallery Paul Andriesse, Amsterdam, NL (2012); Freedom, Netwerk, Aalst, BE; Bloomberg Space, London, UK, (both 2011); Le Grand Café, centre d’art contemporain, Saint-Nazaire, FR (2005); Le Magasin, centre national d’art contemporain, Grenoble, FR (2003); Salon Paris Photo, Paris, FR (2002); MuHKA, Antwerp, BE and Museum het Domein, Sittard, NL (both 2001). Selected group exhibitions include: Status, Fotomuseum Zürich, CH; How Much Fascism? at BAK Utrecht, NL, and Kunsthal Extra City Antwerp, BE; Politiek Kunstbezit, Jonas Staal at Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, NL; The City that Doesn’t Exist, Ludwig Forum Aachen, DE (all 2012); Melanchotopia, Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam, NL; Project Europa: Imagining the Impossible, Wallach Gallery, Columbia University, New York, US; Moving Worlds, Podbielsky Contemporary, Berlin, DE (all 2011); The Politics of Collecting/The Collecting of Politics, Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, NL; Morality – Act VIII Nether Land, Dutch Cultural Center, Shanghai World Expo, China (both 2010); Freedom of Expression, Museum As Hub, Van Abbemuseum at the New Museum, New York, US; Free as Air and Water, Cooper Union, New York, US (all 2009); Be(coming) Dutch, Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, NL (2008); and Be What You Want But Stay Where You Are, Witte de With, Center for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam, NL (2005).