Archives 2024

Painter, photographer, video artist, sculptor... Guy Lemaire is a multi-talented self-taught artist. Born in Belgium in 1954, he took an interest in the world of art from an early age. He began his artistic adventure by joining the trends in American photography of the time, more specifically the Witkin, Mapplethorpe, Gatewood and other movements.

Since then, it has continued to develop, reinvent itself and diversify its 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 a study of monochrome blacks. Moving on to a period he describes as "German Neo-Expressionism", he then concentrates on the art of primitive peoples, inspired in particular by Aboriginal iconography. Passionate about mathematics, he uses the formulas that govern the laws of our universe to compose his canvases.

For his exhibition "Collectif égocentrique" at Galerie HVL, Guy Lemaire presents his latest works. We look forward to seeing you there to discover the work of this enigmatic character... 

Nicolas Ravet, also known as Toska, is a painter from Liège who has been making his mark in exhibitions and art galleries since 2008. Guided by instinct, he has carved out his own artistic path over the years, wielding his brushes with determination. His style, which he has nurtured, refined and renewed daily for over a decade, is a testament to his unwavering perseverance. He enthusiastically continues to perfect his skills, leaving behind an impressive collection of works.

Toska's artistic approach is rooted in the breakdown of her environment into synthesised forms such as circles, triangles and squares. His overall composition is marked by intuition. Through his work, he seeks to capture the flow of life, to grasp the guiding lines of forms and translate them into pictorial expression. In a dance of criss-crossing strokes, he simplifies the forms as much as possible, plunging ever deeper into the material until he penetrates its cells, its energy, its fluids, and then extracts them.

Toska's aim is to represent Movement, the forces of a larger, universal structure. Like a carefully reconstituted jigsaw puzzle, each element is meticulously placed, creating harmony within a transcendent Whole. Her painting aspires to allow the viewer to perceive the energy of the movements that carry her away, and to intuitively develop a vision beyond the limits of the frame.

He skilfully juggles the excitement of live painting with the tranquillity of his studio. His palette of artistic expression is diverse and varied, ranging from tattoos to objects, furniture, canvases, walls and even shop windows.

His universe oscillates between primitive arts, such as Mayan art, and Street Art, whose influence is undeniable. His style, both recognisable and singular, invites us to lose all notion of space and time, creating a labyrinth of shapes and colours of surprising complexity.

But make no mistake, the apparent simplicity in Toska's work is the result of meticulous preparation. His creations first take shape in his mind, like obsessive ideas, and then unfold in the material world. Starting with compositions or lines of volume, he gradually breaks them down, simplifying as much as possible to plunge ever deeper into the material until he reaches the cells, energies and fluids that make it up.

The artist's technique, an alternative to the spray can, the pipette, allows him to contain a large quantity of paint, generating fluid and regular results. His works immediately captivate the eye, while leaving the mind transfixed. A jack-of-all-trades at heart, he is constantly experimenting with new techniques, such as phosphorescent colours, and exploring hitherto unexpected inspirations, such as the animal kingdom.

In conclusion, his art celebrates perseverance and simplicity in the midst of complexity, opening the doors to bold, intuitive contemplation.

Alexis Remy-Paquay grew up in his home town of Verviers, where he spent his entire youth and completed his secondary education. He went on to study medicine in Namur and Brussels, later specialising in paediatrics.

With an early awareness of art, initially through painting, he gradually turned to photography, exploring both film and digital, finding a way to put his theoretical knowledge into practice. Fascinated by capturing the moment, he likes to appropriate and interpret moments, working in the immediate, varying the play of light and depth.

For the past ten years, Alexis Remy-Paquay has been exploring photography in a self-taught way, favouring a trial-and-error approach. His technique is oriented towards black and white, for the light that cuts through, sublimates and deepens the shadows and nuances, and for the vitality of the features.

His inspirations include the leading artists of black and white photography, mainly street and war photographers, working in action. These include Abbas, Elliott Erwitt, Robert Doisneau, Ursula Schulz-Donnburg, Sebastião Salgado and Graciela Iturbide.

Alexis Remy-Paquay works out of passion, for himself, and has never before shown his work to the general public. Galerie HVL is delighted to be organising the young photographer's very first gallery exhibition. 
Over twenty photographs, all in black and white, will be on show. 
Alexis Remy-Paquay's exhibition, entitled 'Magical Realism', will take you on a journey to the lands of Central and South America.