Terra Agônica
Marlene Almeida and Walter Leblanc
Preview: Monday, 26 May 2025, 5–8pm
Opening: Wednesday, 28 May 2025, 2–6pm
The Walter & Nicole Leblanc Foundation is pleased to announce Terra Agônica, a two-person exhibition bringing together Brazilian artist Marlene Almeida and Belgian artist Walter Leblanc in a striking dialogue on materiality, gesture, and process. Opening 26 May 2025, the exhibition reveals unexpected affinities between two artists separated by geography and generation, yet united in their commitment to the transformative power of matter.
Curated by María Inés Rodríguez, director of the Walter & Nicole Leblanc Foundation, with the support of Mirco Bimbi and Joris Dockx, Terra Agônica explores the resonances between two distinct artistic paths rooted in material experimentation and conceptual depth.
A distinctive voice in Latin American contemporary art, Marlene Almeida has developed a singular body of work over the past five decades that is deeply informed by ecological and political concerns. Her practice centers on the use of natural pigments—clays, mineral earths, and plant-based binders—collected across Brazil’s diverse landscapes. These materials are not simply aesthetic choices but form the basis of a long-standing commitment to land, territory, and knowledge systems often marginalized by dominant cultural narratives.
Terra Agônica marks Almeida’s first presentation in Belgium and features a new body of work created specifically for the exhibition.
Presented alongside these new works are rarely seen early pieces by Walter Leblanc from the 1950s. Best known for his torsions, monochromes, and experiments with light, Leblanc’s early work reveals a lesser-known yet crucial phase in his career—one where the tactile qualities of matter take center stage. These formative explorations offer new insight into the evolution of his engagement with rhythm, structure, and perception, and open a dialogue with Almeida’s materially grounded, process-driven practice.
At the core of Terra Agônica is a conversation, between artists, across continents and decades, on how art can transmute the physical into the perceptual, the intimate into the universal. The exhibition continues the Foundation’s curatorial programme exploring Walter Leblanc’s legacy through the lens of contemporary practices, fostering new dialogues across time, media, and cultural contexts.
For further information, images, or press inquiries, please contact archive@walterleblanc.org
