Souvenirs de Bruxelles

Souvenirs de Bruxelles marks Lionel Estève's first exhibition at Stems Gallery, focusing on his connection to the city where he has lived for over thirty-five years. The exhibition delves into themes of memory, place, and the passage of time, drawing from the dual meaning of its title: a memento from a journey and a recollection of the past.

Lionel Estève, born in Lyon in 1967, lives and works in Brussels. His practice involves experimentation with various materials and handcrafted techniques, resulting in refined objects such as collages, assemblages, sculptures, and mobiles. Estève views his work as a continuous process of learning and exploration across diverse materials, techniques, and forms, deliberately eluding current art rhetoric to evoke a sense of beauty. His delicate creations, whether figurative or abstract, are often inspired by motifs from the natural world or sensory experiences.