Book launch 'Echoes of the Unseen'

hroughout the years, Belgian artist Laurens Legiers (b.1994) has assembled a vocabulary of recurring shapes and objects - leaves, mussels, boats, trees, lilacs and more. Legiers’ work celebrates the ordinary, while also paying tribute to Belgian Surrealism.

Throughout the years, Belgian artist Laurens Legiers (b.1994) has assembled a vocabulary of recurring shapes and objects - leaves, mussels, boats, trees, lilacs and more. Legiers’ work celebrates the ordinary, while also paying tribute to Belgian Surrealism.

Serene detachment

Through his dreamy and escapist works, the artist wants to offer his spectator a respite from the hustle and bustle of contemporary life, a temporary place of refuge from which to drift off. In this regard, Romanticism is also often cited as a crucial source of inspiration for him. Nevertheless, there is an apparent stylistic contrast between the stormy seascapes, abundant forests, and dramatic skies from late 18^th century romantic landscape painters, and Legiers’ contained depiction of nature. In addition, the disparity between the serene detachment so apparent in Legiers’ work, and the individualistic whirling emotionality from the Romantic era is apparent.

Echoes of the Unseen

In his latest publication, ‘Echoes of the Unseen’ (2024, MER.), Evelyn Simons notes that "what drives Legiers’ isn’t so much a relentless urge to manifest himself (…) as it is an insatiable desire to perfect his craft as an artist." Within this light, his entire oeuvre can be understood as one continuous body of work, through which Legiers encourages his viewers to engage in peaceful contemplation, blending elements of serenity and subtle humor.

The book ‘Echoes of the Unseen’ was published on the occasion of the exhibition ‘A Whimsy Odyssey’ at PLUS-ONE Gallery in Antwerp from 13.01 to 18.02.2024.