“A boundless exploration of form, rhythm, repetition, layering, imagination, nuance, [and] play,” says Philippe Van Cauteren, S.M.A.K. artistic director, of drawings and paintings by the Belgian artist Werner Mannaers. Since the beginning of his career, in the 1980s, Mannaers has experimented with color, line, and form. Ranging from monotone to multicolored, and from grids to rounded patterns, his pieces do not hide the evidence of trial and error. And they are infused with the past, taking inspiration from numerous periods in art history. Mannaers approaches his works with philosophical questions yet remains light and self-mocking. For his first solo exhibition at Aline Rech Brussels, he presents a wall covered with his lively drawings and paintings. —Jeanne Malle