Madeleine Leplae
Her recent work was made following the end of a ten-year relationship. She became obsessed with the idea of writing a love letter, but never felt she knew what words to write down. Each piece became the embodiment of a love letter. The backs of love letters, love letters rolled up or crumpled in a corner, or a careful collection and recreation of leaves found on the ground in the fall of 2025 serve as a way for her to hold on to that season, even as it has been gone for a while now.
Clocking in at the leaf factory | 2026 | Paper, paint, clock mechanism | art work 3"X15"X15" with 21x17x3 maple frame $1200 (Collection of the Gallery, Available for Sale)
Clocking in at the leaf factory (additional image)
Escape hole | 2026 6x4 | graphite on paper $200 without frame. With $500
Education
MFA, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA (2025)
BFA, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL (2017)
Teaching
Instructor, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA (2024–2025)
Teaching Assistant, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA (2023–2024)
Solo Exhibitions
This Is Not About Love, Left Field Gallery, Los Osos, CA (2026)
Mud Puddles, Gallery 1619, Chicago, IL (2024)
Rotten Luck, Cleaner Gallery, Chicago, IL (2023)
Spare Stripes, Yours Truly, Milwaukee, WI (2018)
Selected Group Exhibitions
Signal Boost, Main Projects, Richmond, VA (2025)
Gravity Bong, Quarters Gallery / The Hermitage, Los Angeles, CA (2025)
New Drawings, Kentler International Drawing Space, New York, NY (2025)
VCU Thesis Exhibition, Institute for Contemporary Art, Richmond, VA (2025)
The 100th Show, Left Field Gallery, Los Osos, CA (2025)
Keep Up!, Seipel Gallery, Richmond, VA (2025)
Chicago and Vicinity (and Redux), Care of Gallery, Winnetka, IL (2024)
Nocturne Part II, Andrew Rafacz Gallery, Chicago, IL (2024)
All Twelve Sides, Seipel Gallery, Richmond, VA (2023)
Adventure in My Dream, Andrew Rafacz Gallery, Chicago, IL (2023)
Local Visions II, Northern Illinois University Art Museum, DeKalb, IL (2023)
Viewing Room, Marvin Gardens, New York, NY (2023)
West, Wester, Westest 4, Left Field Gallery, Los Osos, CA (2023)
July Show, Sulk Gallery, Chicago, IL (2022)
LUCKY CHARM, Hoxton Arches / Moosey, London, UK (2021)
Usual Objects, Carrie Secrist Gallery, Chicago, IL (2021)
All My Love, Baby Blue Gallery, Chicago, IL (2019)
We Go Fast, Left Field Gallery, Los Osos, CA (2019)
The Red Show, Happy Gallery, Chicago, IL (2019)
Art Fairs
Expo Chicago (Online), Carrie Secrist Gallery, Chicago, IL (2021)
Residencies
Moosey Residency, Norwich, UK (2024)
Ace AIR, Ace Hotel, Chicago, IL (2019)
Publications
New American Paintings, MFA Issue #171 (2025)
New American Paintings, Issue #143 (2020)
Selected Press
Ben Herbert, “Artist of the Week,” LVL3 (2022)
“LUCKY CHARM: A Group Exhibition of 28 International Artists,” Art Plugged (2021)
Susan Musich, “Usual Objects in Unusual Times,” Sixty Inches From Center (2021)