At a glance
Belgian artist Jesse Willems transforms discarded fragments of history into precise, hand-cut geometric collages that replace the noise of urban life with rhythmic paper textures.
Meet the artist
Why go
This solo exhibition highlights Willems’ meticulous analog process, using antique documents and archival paper to create minimal abstractions. It offers a rare chance to see how the artist balances rigid control with the random beauty of found materials.
You'll see
Hand-cut collages · Found archival paper · Minimalist geometric forms · Vintage document fragments · Rhythmic compositions
Pace of visit
A single-room hang of intimate works that invites close, slow looking at the grain and edges of the paper.
Don't miss
The subtle aging on the edges of the archive fragments, which reveal the physical history of the materials only upon close inspection.
Artlovers Tip
Step close to the works to appreciate the physical history of the materials; the yellowed edges and varied paper weights from vintage archives provide a depth that is lost in digital reproductions.
Inside the exhibition
Jesse Willems brings a series of meticulous, hand-cut collages to Alzueta Gallery in Madrid, Spain. The Antwerp-based artist presents a solo body of work that continues his exploration of the boundaries between urban reality and geometric abstraction. Visitors will encounter a quiet, focused environment where the primary medium is aged paper, transformed through a process of careful selection and assembly.
The exhibition features works constructed from vintage journals, archive documents, and forgotten stationery. These fragments of the past are stripped of their original meaning—removing letters and symbols—to focus purely on form, color, and texture. The selection demonstrates Willems’ evolution from his earlier, denser photographic collages toward a more restrained, minimal language defined by soft tones and precise rhythmic spacing.
What makes this show distinctive is Willems’ commitment to a purely analog methodology in an increasingly digital world. By finding beauty in overlooked fragments like sunbeams or discarded road-side finds, he creates a visual language of silence and order. Seeing these works together reveals the delicate tension between the artist’s stoic obsession with control and the unpredictable textures of his century-old materials.
Worth travelling for?
A focused and tactile experience for those who appreciate minimal abstraction, the history of materials, and the quiet precision of contemporary collage.
Experience as an Artlover
Located in the Justicia district, the gallery is open Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 19:00. The exhibition is free to enter, consistent with local commercial gallery practices.
