Archives 2023

François LURQUIN - Draughtsman, architect and designer

François Lurquin was born in 1997 in Verviers, where he lived for the first twenty years of his life before moving to Liège to study architecture. He later decided to make a fresh start in the Hautes-Alpes. From an early age, François Lurquin was immersed in the artistic world, mainly thanks to his grandfather Raymond Gaillard, a painter. With his rather discreet personality, it was through the work of his hands that the young artist always sought to escape, to communicate, to show who he was and what he felt.

 Artist's note :

«OBSERVE-FEEL-UNDERSTAND-TRANSCRIBE. This is how I found my process of representation. My own experiences become a source of inspiration: rediscovering a memory through drawing, drawing for myself and not for others, capturing an emotion and transmitting it to you.... »

Bego BARCENA - Photographer, videographer and biologist

Bego Barcena was born in 1992 in Pamplona, Spain, where she lived until she was 21. She studied biology and obtained a master's degree in Antwerp. Finally, after devoting part of her life to travelling and research into living things, she decided to settle in the Hautes-Alpes.

She has always been interested in photography. When she was a child, she loved to lose herself in the house to look at old photos stored in her father's and grandfather's boxes... The passion was born.
As well as photography, Bego Barcena also works with video, mainly in the entertainment world.
Her work is raw and natural. She uses nature, life and sunlight to create a unique atmosphere that is both close to and far from reality. Her photos come from where she comes from, as well as from wherever her many travels have taken her.

Presentation of the exhibition by the artists

 "Man is elevated by his modesty and humility and degraded by his pride."
"The mountains offer man what society forgets to give him.

The mountains teach us that the biggest mountains are not necessarily the ones with the most wealth.
The real mountain attracts as much as it repels, we admire it as much as we fear it. It tends to surpass us, to push back our limits, pretending to find sublimity only in the great names, but often leaving all that beauty to one side...

Our exhibition turns towards this more ordinary side, towards this mineral authenticity, this omnipresent purity. These mountains tower over us. We are at home in their great garden. We spend time there, we contemplate them daily, and yet every day our eye catches something different.
Here, we show you our subjectivity, our spontaneous feelings, our emotions found in this immensity where potential is often mixed with the unseen. We offer you our singular framings, our shifted views... 

Bego Barcena, François Lurquin

Painter, sculptor, draughtsman, illustrator: there's no shortage of names to describe Jean Lequeu, a versatile artist with an extensive career.

He began his career as a student at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Liège. He went on to teach at the same institution for over thirty years. His mastery of academic codes and techniques enabled him to juggle different styles with ease. Alongside his teaching role, Jean Lequeu continued to create tirelessly throughout his life.

Following numerous group and solo exhibitions, Jean Lequeu decided in the early 90s to stop exhibiting. A discreet artist sensitive to the gaze of others, he no longer wished to be the centre of interest amid the hubbub of vernissages and the dazzling spotlight of gallery exhibitions. No longer seeking public recognition, he prefers to receive visitors in the privacy of his studio, where he spends most of his free time. A true artist rather than a showman, he leaves behind the mundanities and time-consuming setting up of exhibitions to devote himself essentially to making his art. For this reason, he has left us a substantial legacy, with many works that are still unknown to the public.

Jean Lequeu's atypical world is made up of zany characters with strange morphologies, mythological creatures, short-legged warriors, chubby animals and extravagant flying machines! A prolific creator with an overflowing imagination, the artist takes us on a journey to imaginary worlds sometimes reminiscent of the tales of our childhood.

The sources of his inspiration are many and varied. Observant and curious, he is interested in history, literature and mythology, as well as cinema and comic strips. In fact, he produced illustrations for a series of children's books commissioned by Gakken, a Japanese publisher.

Despite his apparently cheerful and festive work, Jean Lequeu remained pessimistic about the way the world was going, leading him to deal with darker subjects such as war and death. With a more academic touch, he also produced a series of views of Verviers in the style of the Verviers Intimists, an artistic movement that emerged in our region in the early 20th century.

With the help of Françoise Villers, Jean Lequeu's wife, Galerie HVL is paying tribute to this man from Verviers, with an exhibition retracing his artistic career through the different periods and themes that influenced him throughout his life. Young and old alike are invited to come and discover his fantastic world of derision, humour and satire.

Exhibitions resume at Galerie HVL 

We look forward to seeing you at the vernissage of Marc Jortay, painter, on Friday 15 September from 6pm. 

 Autobiography of the artist :

My career began when, at the age of 4, the teacher at the Boulevards nursery school in Verviers informed my parents that it was impossible for me to reproduce an identical drawing.
In 1955, speech therapists didn't go round schools looking for 'dys'-something. This was even more pronounced when, asked to write my first name, I transcribed it as CRAM.
From then on, my mother called me Cram instead of Marc.
I was dyslexic and visually left-handed. The problem was compounded when it extended to all forms of reasoning.

Rather than writing, my apprenticeship began with drawing lessons. After that, my school career was rather chaotic until the end of secondary school. In the meantime, I had spent a good deal of my spare time as a child and teenager with my paternal grandfather, Ernest Jortay, a carpenter and head set designer at the Grand Théâtre in Verviers.
Practising carpentry and the art of working with wood have added to my wonder at creation, whatever it may be.
At the age of 12, I also took up photography, where the physical principles of optics were particularly relevant to me, as I was constantly having to juggle with my camera.
inverted images.
At 16, my mind was made up: I was going to be an architect. My father, a wool-maker, travelled a lot. He spoke 4 languages and his travel stories and the images he brought back captivated me. So I thought I'd spend a year travelling before my higher education, but when I came face to face with the school authorities, I made the right decision: after sitting and passing the entrance exam, I was admitted to the Antwerp Maritime Academy as a deck officer on long voyages.
So in 1970, I travelled around the world and was able to explore it on my own, without any preconceptions.
In 1971, after passing the entrance exam, I was admitted to the first year of architecture at the Institut Saint-Luc in Liège.
From the very first year, I knew I hadn't made a mistake. During the first three years, I developed a taste for painting thanks to a teacher, André Blank, a painter from Raeren.
However, I didn't start painting until the 80s and 90s.
I finished my architecture studies at La Cambre in Brussels in 1977.
I completed my training with a postgraduate degree in town and country planning at ULB.
From 1977 onwards, together with my wife Isabelle Noël, a landscape architect, I devoted myself entirely to developing my architectural practice, which over time became AUPa sprl: Architectes, Urbanistes, Paysagistes associés.
In 2016, the company had 20 employees and partners and I concluded a management buy-out with 4 of them.
In 2018, I stepped down as president of the Belgian Chamber of Urban Planners.

Throughout these years, I continued to paint and photograph, in short to create, in my spare time. These two activities became as necessary to me as bread and water.
This background and all the experiences and journeys that have followed have been a source of inspiration for me, and have even changed the way I work.

When it comes to painting, I've decided not to draw any more, but to work with colours and materials using tools other than brushes.
Ambiences and contexts, two decisive elements for architects and town planners, structure a body of work that is not intended to be figurative. The history and evolution of built-up areas, towns and countryside, underlie my pictorial work.
I've decided to keep an open mind to everything, with no preconceptions, otherwise I'll be restricting my inspiration unnecessarily.

"You are not the things you do,
You are the way you are.
- Neale Walsh

 Galerie HVL exhibits Kong Le Foudeur 

Anthony Malamba, aka Kong le Foudeur, is a Belgian graphic designer and pop artist who bridges the gap between the world of cartoons and the world of fashion. He draws his inspiration from comics, cartoons and streetwear culture through classic and trendy brands: two worlds that he brings together in colour. His art is a vast mix of bright new ideas that he brings to life both digitally and in paint.

A former graffiti artist, Kong now favours large-format canvas to paint close-ups of characters in action, whose accessories and outfits will not escape the attentive eye of fashion lovers. Indeed, the multiple references, both discreet and flashy, reflect the real interest in fashion in general (sneakers, street fashion, etc.).

Finally, his illustrations highlight Belgium's rich cultural heritage: a culture to which Kong le Foudeur is very attached, since the world of comics plays a major role in his work.

Art in all its forms at Galerie HVL 

Two young fashion designers make their debut in the world of exhibitions, accompanied by a young painter.
Like painting, photography and sculpture, fashion design will be given pride of place at our exhibition in May 2023.

On the fashion side, Elisa Godfroid and Lionel Virgile are part of the "Upcycling" trend. On the picture rail, you can discover the work of Mathilde Peiffer.

Presentation of the artists :

Elisa Godfroid was born in Verviers in 1992. From an early age, she was drawn to all things creative, and travelled a lot. Painting, drawing, materials, architecture, fashion and design have always been part of her life.

After studying fashion design at the Haute Ecole Helmo Mode, she quickly seized an opportunity to move to Paris, where she lived for eight years.
Over the years, she has held a number of positions. Quickly launched as a freelancer, she was able to cut her teeth and immerse herself in the hard core of fashion. She has worked as a photo stylist, as an assistant and in the editorial offices of various magazines, and as a consultant for several brands.

Having recently returned to Belgium, she has launched her own brand, "La Seule Shop", in line with the upcycling trend. From her "Appart-elier" in Heusy, she makes her creations using high-quality fabrics and lets her imagination run riot.

Passionate, her watchword is sharing. Thanks to her inspirations and desires, the designer wants to take us on a journey, telling stories using colours, materials and volumes. She creates unique pieces in which every detail is important. She believes that there are no limits to creativity, that fashion belongs to everyone, and that the most important thing is to feel good.

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Lionel Virgile is a 26-year-old designer from the Verviers region. Introduced to dressmaking by his mother, he developed a passion for design and fashion that has stayed with him ever since.
Having had no formal training, this self-taught designer started out with a view to making unique clothes for himself. He was inspired by some of the great designers who produced pieces that made him dream, and decided to create his own world.
Receiving positive feedback from friends and family, he decided to offer his services and launch his own brand, Pacific Boys.

As part of the upcycling trend, he too works with old clothes, mainly second-hand. His favourite material is denim. He is particularly fond of this material and the multitude of possibilities that are inherent in this type of fabric.
In a style he describes as "ordered chaos", with a streetwear bent, he makes one-off pieces. He creates garments that are sometimes completely reassembled using his sewing machine in his workshop.

He believes that each of his creations has its own story. He gives a new lease of life to the clothes he recovers and adds a part of himself to them, in an eternal cycle, an eternal restart.

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Mathilde Peiffer, aka La Choza, is a 28-year-old painter, also from Verviers. An enthusiast of the brush since childhood, she worked discreetly for many years and only began to reveal her work at a late age. Following an exhibition at a private venue, she held her first public gallery exhibition at Galerie HVL.

The creative spirit is part of her everyday life: after a master's degree in industrial design, followed by training in web development/code, she now works as a web interface designer. Passionate about her work, she brings the same energy to her life as an artist.

The young painter is inspired by nature and its colours, the landscapes she has discovered, animated films and comic strips. Her colourful style is a cross between the influences of Jean Dubuffet, Doodle Art and Pop Art.

A globe-trotter at heart, she also draws inspiration from her adventures and experiences, including an almost three-year trip to Australia. Incidentally, her artist name 'La Choza' originated during a trip to Patagonia, Chile, following a snowstorm in the Andes.

Painter, photographer, video artist, sculptor, ... Guy Lemaire is a multi-talented self-taught artist. Born in Belgium in 1954, he became interested in the art world at a very young age. He began his artistic adventure by joining the American photography trends of the time, more precisely the Witkin, Mapplethorpe, Gatewood, etc... Since then, he has never stopped developing, reinventing himself, diversifying styles, techniques and media.

Over the course of his career, Guy Lemaire has acquired international renown thanks to numerous exhibitions abroad: Tokyo, Amsterdam, Cologne, Milan, as well as Buenos Aires in 2004 with the "Play III" exhibition, which allowed him to be recognised for his work as a video artist. Noted for his talent as a photographer, he was asked by pataphysicians, including André Blavier, to illustrate "Temps Mêlés". An article was also dedicated to him in the renowned American magazine "Collectors Photography USA". His works are present in many prestigious collections such as the Département des Estampes et de la Photographie of the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris, the Paul Arden Collection (Saatchi & Saatchi) and the Ken Damy Museum in Milan.

In 2007, in search of creative regeneration, the artist decided to leave the hustle and bustle of the cities to isolate himself in the Fagnes, where he still lives. It is in the serenity of nature that he rediscovers the pleasure of painting.

Guy Lemaire begins this new chapter with the study of monochrome blacks. Passing through a period he describes as "German Neo-Expressionism", he then focuses on the art of primitive peoples, inspired in particular by aboriginal iconography. He is passionate about mathematics and uses the formulas that govern the laws of our universe to compose his paintings. Constantly on the lookout for the evolution of new technologies, he does not hesitate to incorporate artificial intelligence into his artistic creation process. Guy Lemaire, a creative mind, a visionary?

On the occasion of his exhibition at the Galerie HVL, Guy Lemaire presents his latest works: photographs, "mathematical-tribal" paintings and an exclusive series in a new neo-expressionist style. We are waiting for you to come and discover the work of this enigmatic character...