In Perspectives, the artistic oeuvres of Belgian architects and visual artists Koen Deprez and Guy Cleuren come together. Their works move between observation and design, between what exists and what can still be imagined. For Deprez, perspective becomes a way of looking at both reality and possibility from a chosen point of view; for Cleuren, abstraction opens up a space for variation and alternative configurations.
The plural in the title is essential. There is no single perspective on space. Every change in viewpoint, scale or method reveals different qualities and possibilities. Perspectives is therefore not only about ways of representing space, but above all about ways of making space conceivable.
After all, perspective refers both to a way of looking at the world and to a prospect of what is yet to come. It is a matter of position: where do we look from, but also where are we looking towards? For Deprez and Cleuren, space is not a fixed given, but something that can be explored, interpreted and reimagined. Drawing, perspective, models and abstraction offer ways of looking at reality differently and making visible what might still be possible.
For Koen Deprez, this dual meaning of perspective takes on a concrete form. His perspectives measure and construct space, but are at the same time projections of a possible reality. Different forms of perspective — from isometric and conventional one-, two- and three-point perspectives to exploded views and bas-reliefs — become ways of investigating space. Perspective records what exists, but can also reveal a space that does not yet exist. It becomes both image and proposition.
The works brought together in Perspectives do not originate from a single period or a coherent series. They were created over the years and in response to a variety of circumstances. The selection is therefore not a chronological overview, but brings works from different moments into a new relationship with one another. It is precisely by placing them alongside each other today that a new coherence emerges. The exhibition thus not only offers insight into the different ways in which Deprez employs perspective, but also creates a new perspective on his work itself: what emerged separately and at different moments is now reconsidered from the standpoint of the present.
Guy Cleuren approaches space through abstraction. In his series Autobiographical Architecture as a Medium and a Renewed Art Form, he takes existing or desired conditions of enclosed outdoor spaces as his starting point: enclaves, courtyards, patios, arbours, verandas, baths, urban spaces and landscapes. Through models, these places are reduced to an abstracted reality. By eliminating the non-essential, fundamental spatial qualities and meanings become legible once again.
At the same time, Cleuren explores the multitude of spatial possibilities that can emerge within a single theme. Whereas design solutions often lead to standardisation, uniformity and predictability, he seeks variation and possibilities that remain unexplored. The model thus becomes not only a representation of space, but also a tool for investigating alternatives and for rethinking and experiencing space in different ways.
Deprez and Cleuren therefore work from different methods, yet share a related approach. Space is not merely represented as it is, but approached as something that can continually be reconsidered, questioned and imagined anew. Perspective thus becomes not an endpoint, but a position from which new possibilities can emerge.
Koen Deprez (b. 1961) is an architect and visual artist. He studied at Sint-Lukas in Brussels and undertook internships at OMA/Rem Koolhaas in Rotterdam and with Alessandro Mendini in Milan, among others. His practice moves fluidly between architecture, interior design, visual art and literature. Drawings, paintings, models and spatial interventions serve as means of exploring landscape, scale, memory and narrative. In 2023, he obtained his PhD from KU Leuven with Apologie voor de vlucht (Apology for the Escape). He taught at the Faculty of Architecture at KU Leuven until 2026.
Guy Cleuren is an architect, spatial planner, author and artist. He studied architecture in Maastricht and runs the architectural practice Cleuren Architecten together with Josiane Merken and their two sons. Alongside his architectural practice, he has developed an independent artistic oeuvre in which architecture becomes an artistic medium and a renewed art form. Visual art serves as a means of investigating and imagining space and spatial experience. Cleuren taught at the Faculty of Architecture and Arts at Hasselt University until 2023 and has published several books, including Polemische Architectuur (Polemical Architecture), Woonlandschap en woonkorven (Residential Landscapes and Housing Clusters) and Abstracte Architectuur (Abstract Architecture).
