'Contacts' - Hana Miletić in conversation with Nicole and Walter Leblanc

Contacts brings together the contemporary practice of Hana Miletić in dialogue with the legacy of Nicole and Walter Leblanc. Miletić’s deeply considered work reimagines how we engage with concepts of memory and materiality, constructing a layered narrative through the use of textiles, photography, and archival elements.

At the center of the exhibition is a striking curtain installation that transforms the former salon. The grey-and-white chequerboard pattern references both the digital grid of Adobe Photoshop and traditional weaving techniques. Produced with a Jacquard loom, it connects the material history of weaving with digital aesthetics—an essential theme in Miletić’s practice.

Upon entering the exhibition, a miniature X-ray image of Nicole Leblanc’s finger subtly links the personal and the artistic. This image hints at Nicole’s possible collaboration with Walter Leblanc, suggesting that she may have assisted him in threading canvases. This idea resonates with Miletić’s own experience, continuing the unfinished work of her mentor, Emmy Van de Velde, whose arthritis left a tapestry incomplete. Both moments highlight the themes of care, legacy, and the physical demands of artistic labor across generations.

The tapestry, shown from the back to reveal the hands that worked on it, contrasts with the mechanical precision of the chequerboard curtain in the adjacent room, offering a dialogue between the handmade and the digital, the human and the automated.

Nicole Leblanc’s archival notebooks, in which meticulous archiving becomes an act of care, deepen this connection. The chequered paper used in her notes mirrors the curtain’s pattern, creating a quiet dialogue between the work of Nicole and Miletić across time.

Additionally, a series of photograms by Walter Leblanc shed light on his experimental process. Created without a camera, these images bridge the gap between preparatory sketches and finished works, further exploring the themes of materiality and artistic process that run throughout the exhibition.

The exhibition also features dynamic archival displays. Each month, the vitrines will present new content from the Foundation’s archives, transforming the archive into a living and evolving element that continuously contributes to the narrative of the exhibition. This approach highlights the archives as an active resource that deepens our understanding of both the past and present.

Contacts is the third chapter in the Foundation’s exhibition series, following projects by Mario Garcia Torres and Edith Dekyndt. This exhibition continues the profound exploration of Walter Leblanc’s artistic legacy, creating a dynamic platform for experimentation, research, and intergenerational exchange between his body of work and contemporary artistic practices.

Curated by María Inés Rodríguez