Guy Lemaire - Painter/Photographer
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...
Jean-Marie Mélis - Painter
After several years of absence, Jean-Marie Mélis is back on the exhibition scene. And it's happening in his home town, at the Galerie HVL!
In a style originating from the comic strip, the young retiree reveals his oil paintings and drawings always revolving around his central theme: the woman. Her grace, her beauty, her fragility but even more so her warrior strength are depicted in his works. With an uncommon precision, his paintings will make you travel in the imagination of this multitude of characters...
Snach-Ka - Painter
The precision of the gesture, the conquest of materials and colours and the confrontation with chance have been side by side in Alain Schank's abstraction for some twenty years. In perpetual research, the artist recently met his alias Snach-Ka...
This artistic turnaround was intended to be free of all constraints, more eccentric and authentic than the previous one. The painter became independent and no longer responded to the requests of the galleries that exhibited his work: choice of colours and shades, formats, effects, etc. He now painted by himself and for himself.
Snach-Ka's figurative work is full of violence and unabashedness. The crazy characters he creates are in phase with his new style. Marginal, brutal, often gravitating towards the punk sphere, they scream out their desire to have their identity recognised and to break their chains.
The artist calls himself a "painter of the moment" in the sense that each of his paintings is revealed in the light of day without any preparatory drawings. It is his prior and unceasing work of pictorial research and his profound mastery of techniques that allow him to create his works at the "T" moment.
The explosion of colours, the daring collages and the eccentric characters charm some and shock others... but for sure, these original productions will leave no one indifferent. As an invitation from the artist to dive into his universe, the message FIND ME INSIDE will guide you in the discovery of this complex work...
Jean-Michel Dubuc - Painter
Nothing predestined Jean-Michel Dubuc for an artistic career. It was by chance that this fifty-year-old from Liège came to painting. Attracted by decoration and photography, he started with stencils and small formats and quickly got into the game. His passion never stopped growing and revealed an unsuspected creativity. "This allows me to free myself completely, without any restrictions. When I'm with my 'tools', I don't see the time passing, I'm completely immersed" confides this self-taught artist for whom painting has become a kind of necessity.
Jean-Michel Dubuc's work focuses on colour with an emphasis on spontaneity. As a support, this undeniably talented artist most often uses aluminium plates that he "deconstructs" and then "reconstructs" by superimposing pigments. "I look for contrasts in colour, flatness and relief so that the light is reflected," he says. Working flat, Jean-Michel Dubuc literally immerses himself in the plate in order to be as spontaneous and free as possible, thus losing awareness of his actions in an attempt to achieve an almost automatic gesture. A form of action painting for the artist who proposes a production not far from abstract expressionism.
Jean-Michel Dubuc has not given any title to the works chosen for this exhibition, which is rightly entitled "Untitled". This is a desire to give the viewer total freedom to apprehend them without prejudice or instructions. His paintings catch the eye at first glance and then invite the viewer to immerse themselves more deeply and intensely in the many details, giving free rein to their imagination. By refusing to impose his vision of his production, this emerging artist allows each viewer to project his or her own experience, previous experiences, and relationship with the world, and to always detect a different story and varied and intense emotions. A singularity and an approach that undeniably make this painter from Liège one to watch....
Emilie Cronet - Photographer
Subsequently, she participated in various group exhibitions.
After a long period of experimentation, she is making her new images public at Galerie HVL for the present exhibition.
The experience of photography has allowed Emilie Cronet to clarify her relationship with the world and offers her the possibility of sharing her perception of it. She does not seek to photograph reality but to use it as material to construct a new one: her own. For her images tell what she cannot express elsewhere.
Each of his photographs is an experience in itself, free from any intellectualisation or control. It would be pointless to try to define them as they would lose their essence. They exist as simple fragments of stories, which could echo yours.
Jean Janssis - Photographer
A self-taught photographer, he passed the State Jury in 1986. He is professor of semiology and photography at the Ecole supérieure des Arts Saint-Luc in Liège until 2017.
He makes his prints with gum bichromate on large etching papers. His favourite themes are the body and the portrait. The density of the prints, the paper and the pigments give his photographs a real sensuality, an almost tactile thickness that resonates with the emotions and depth of the images.
He has had numerous solo and group exhibitions: Liège, Hasselt, Namur, Stavelot, Arlon, Genval, Charleroi, Brussels, Ostend, Antwerp, Arles, Paris, Toulouse, Eindhoven, Rotterdam, Brescia, Venice, Rome, Milan, London, Lausanne, New York, Santiago de Chile, etc.
His work is part of numerous private and public collections: Mep (Maison Européenne de la Photographie), Musée de l'Elysée in Lausanne, Musée de la Photographie in Charleroi, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Museo Ken Damy (Brescia), Communauté Française, FNAC, ...
He is also the author of several books: Etreintes de Terre, Silent Walk, Exsudat, Les corps impressionnés (to be published in spring 2022).
Jordan ESSER - Photographer
Since 2017 he has been working as a freelance photographer. In parallel, he took the opportunity to work as an assistant for one of his former teachers, Gregor Collienne, which opened the doors to assisting in the advertising and fashion industry. This gave him the opportunity to perfect his training and sharpen his photographic eye.
In December 2021, he exhibited for the first time at the Plantasia cultural house in Lisbon. It is with great emotion that he will hold his first exhibition in Belgium, together with his former teacher Jean Janssis who accompanied him during the development of his artistic vision.
He sees photography as an experiment, a search for the happy accident. Today his style is in perpetual mutation and evolves according to his desires. Contrary to the past, he no longer aims for his photography to be meaningful, he now devotes himself to the search for strict aestheticism.