Remains To Be Seen / Guy Leclef at Forwart Gallery Antwerp

You are cordially invited to Guy Leclef’s solo exhibition Remains To Be Seen at Forwart Gallery Antwerp where Guy’s new body of work will be unveiled.

Forwart Gallery Armeduivelstraat 6 2000 Antwerp

Exhibition 17 October - 29 November 2025 Wednesday - Saturday 11:00 - 18:00

Forwart Gallery is proud to present Remains To Be Seen a solo exhibition by Guy Leclef (Belgium 1962). Known for his masterful transformation of paper magazines books and cardboard into layered visual narratives Leclef has built a unique oeuvre that balances between fragility and strength order and chaos memory and erasure.

Guy Leclef’s enduring fascination with the materiality of paper and cardboard materials that in his hands transform into sculptural architectural and poetic forms has led to a new body of work developed over the past months. The exhibition brings together a new series some inspired by Forwart Gallery's acclaimed presentation in Copenhagen shown in dialogue with some of his iconic pieces alongside unseen works created in collaboration with Nespresso.

The title Remains To Be Seen captures the duality at the heart of Leclef’s practice. On the one hand it refers to the physical remains of paper magazines and books sometimes leather or aluminum that once discarded find a second life in his work. On the other it points to the act of seeing differently: what we overlook or throw away is given new visibility inviting us to rethink value memory and permanence. Leclef’s art asks a deceptively simple but profound question: what remains and what is left to be seen. The exhibition will be opened in the presence of the artist who will also be signing copies his book Paperworld.

Guy Leclef on Remains To Be Seen

“With Remains To Be Seen I present a new exhibition. As a paper artist I find endless inspiration in the simplicity and versatility of paper. In this solo exhibition I share my fascination with the material’s ability to hold form carry memory and express fragility and strength all at once. Each work is the result of a slow intuitive process: tearing layering folding until something new begins to emerge.

Sustainability is central to my practice. In collaboration with Nespresso I give a second life to used coffee capsules by repurposing them into new creations. What once was waste becomes part of something refined and meaningful. This process reflects how I see the world full of overlooked potential and hidden beauty. This exhibition brings together my paper works and recycled capsule pieces as part of one ongoing exploration.”

About Guy Leclef

Guy Leclef (Belgium 1962) is a contemporary artist based near Antwerp. His practice revolves around the transformation of paper magazines books and cardboard into layered sculptural compositions. Strips of paper - deployed like paint cut sliced impregnated and reassembled - form the raw material of an oeuvre that continuously searches for balance between fragility and strength chaos and order memory and erasure. Often described as poetic recycling Leclef’s work elevates discarded matter into architectural and lyrical forms treating paper with the sensitivity of pigment while avoiding spectacle or repetition.

Since 2021 Leclef has been represented by Forwart Gallery which has been instrumental in developing and presenting his work on an international stage. His works have been featured at fairs including PAD Paris the Venice Biennale Enter Copenhagen and Art Miami. Leclef's work has been part of several group exhibitions at Forwart Gallery Antwerp Knokke and Hasselt. Together they have realized solo exhibitions including Poetic Recycling and now Remains To Be Seen (2025) the latter introducing a new body of work including a series inspired by their acclaimed presentation in Copenhagen in 2025 and previously unseen collaborative work with Nespresso shown in dialogue with some of his iconic pieces. Through Forwart Gallery his art has also entered prominent collections and interiors such as The Jane Antwerp and Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp.

In parallel Leclef has exhibited internationally with galleries in Italy the United States Canada South Africa and Spain. His works are part of private collections across all continents. He has also been invited to collaborate with luxury goods houses such as Delvaux (2009). His practice has been documented in two monographs published by Lannoo: Paperworld (2016) and Paperworld 2 (2022).

Leclef’s practice is ultimately a meditation on transformation: what society discards is reimagined as enduring layered and poetic. His works ask the deceptively simple question: What remains and what is left to be seen?

About Forwart Gallery

Forwart Gallery is an Antwerp-based gallery specialised in contemporary mixed-media art with a strong emphasis on materiality in its curation. Each of its artists hone a distinctive technique within their specific niche. Bringing them together fosters energy and creates synergy ensuring a dynamic in Forwart’s diverse exhibitions. The gallery puts a spotlight on artists from the international art scene whom they deeply admire for their explosive talent and limitless creativity. A symbiotic relationship unfolds as these diverse individuals each with their unique creative approach are brought together.

Founded by Lucas De Dycker Forwart Gallery first opened on Schuttershofstraat in Antwerp quickly expanding to additional temporary locations in Knokke and Hasselt. In 2024 the gallery established its permanent home at Armeduivelstraat 6 in the heart of Antwerp’s vibrant fashion district.

The gallery exhibited at the Venice Art Biennale and leading fairs such as PAD Paris.

Its artists are represented in prestigious collections including The Jane Botanic Sanctuary and Louis Vuitton as well as the Duncan Collection.

Next to this exhibition you are also welcome to visit the atelier of Guy Leclef nestled in the woods of Zoersel near Antwerp (by appointment only).

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Host or Publisher Maarten Statius Muller