Odile Kinart was born in 1945 in the Belgian province of Limburg and pursued studies in plastic arts at the Academy of Genk.

She expressed her passion for literature as a secondary school language teacher. And that sensitivity for poetry would further blossom in sculpted art. Odile Kinart has been profoundly inspired by the African and Pre-Columbian cultures.

Beginning in 1990, the Flemish artist becomes known for her ceramic pieces. Since 1995, the sculptress has favored bronze as a material for her sculptures. She has exhibited in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy.

The charm of a universal dream
The Flemish sculptress Odile Kinart evokes a world peopled with charming and benevolent beings. These peaceful characters endowed with massive heads are seated or lying down in nonchalant positions that convey warmth. The little fellows with their round stomachs and the little gals with their ample hips are lively and unposed, sharing the same bath in an outburst of spontaneity and tenderness. From time to time they drift, motionless, in a canoe or lie stretched out on a comfortable bed or a soft sofa. In this way these couples benefit intensely from the pleasures of life. Wisely, they abandon the frantic pace of the city and they catch their breath in complete tranquillity within their intimate cocoon.

The physical appearance of these people is intriguing because of the inventive mensurations of the head and the body. In the image of newborns, their heads are proportionally more voluminous than their bodies. But the feminine silhouettes nonetheless display the round shapes of the adult. This gives them an indefinable age. Their world is also populated with charming animals. In the image of their masters, puppy-like dogs, frogs with big eyes and other affectionate beasts radiate the same feeling of bliss.

The secret of Kinart's success is probably connected with the plainness of style and the universal nature of the story that the artist is telling us. Many Occidentals feel constrained to achieve and multiply objectives that are ever more high-performance. But in their heart of hearts the existential doubt of the necessity of these aspirations is also dawning. In a lively and playful language of forms, Kinart illustrates the attraction of a more casual way of life. This message spontaneously meets with the favor of a wide public.

The artist rarely experiences several pieces at the same time. In order to concentrate her creativity in the optimal way in an intense form, Kinart chooses not to tackle multiple creations at once, but to limit her force of expression to a single project at a time. Generally, she works directly on the clay, without any preliminary study on paper. Projects starting with a preparatory sketch have never come to life. They miscarried, because the tension that feeds the creative process was discharged prematurely.

The secret of the extremely polished appearance of the sculptures
The appearance of Odile Kinart's sculptures in bronze is so highly polished that people sometimes ask questions about the techniques used. That is why the artist briefly explains how she obtains this final result.

For the first phase, I produce a model in clay. I try to polish the piece created in this way to the maximum extent possible, but inevitably small irregularities remain on the surface. From the clay model the molder, Guy Cuypers, makes a negative mold in silicon, supported by a negative mold of plaster. Thanks to the double negative mold, the molder produces a positive model in plaster, where the holes, the bubbles and other irregularities are retouched. Subsequently we return to work on the piece.

Based on the plaster model, a new negative mold in silicon is produced. From this second reworked negative mold, Guy Cuypers makes a positive model in wax. This hollow wax piece is then wrapped in a fine ceramic powder. When the whole piece is heated, this fine powder becomes as hard as stone. The wax melts and escapes through drainage channels. Then it is time for the caster to pour the liquid bronze.

After hardening and cooling, the bronze sculpture is released, and the chiseler, Tillo Balis, sees to the polishing of the work, using various scouring techniques. When the sculpture is completely polished, we pass to the treatment with the sander, which prepares the statue for finishing. The final phase, but crucial for the warm appearance of the work, is executed by the finisher, Wim Buyse.

The finisher removes the grease from the sculpture and applies a base patina. Depending on the color effect desired and the hot terracotta shades, under the flame of a blowtorch he applies the last layer of the the patina based on acid solutions. As soon as the desired effect is obtained, the work is washed, rinsed, dried and waxed. Bronze sculptures are the result of the work of a group of craftspeople. For this reason it is a very human form of art. The contribution of these specialists is an important step for my works. I am extremely grateful to them.

In Belgium
Odile Kinart's work has been exhibited in numerous galleries.
Brussels: Cloots, Contraste, Tempera; Kortrijk: Harmagedon; Knokke: L. Pieters; Leuven: Sango Art Gallery; Kluisbergen: Beukenhof; Neeroeteren: Exelmans.
Her sculptures have also been shown in the gardens of D'Hulst (Zandhoven), Orshof (Neerglabbeek), and at the Groene Tuinkamer (Latem-Saint-Martin).

In the Netherlands,
Odile Kinart has exhibited at the Van Haren Museum in Herenveen and in a variety of galleries. Amsterdam: Art Works, Pieter Breughel; The Hague: Smelik & Stokking; Heeswijk-Dinter: Interart; Helmond: Bogaard Art; Ootmarsum: Chez Moi Ton Schulten; Valkenswaard: Lamber.

In Luxemburg
at the gallery Wagner & Schortgen.

In France,
Kinart's creations have also been shown in a number of galleries.
Cannes: Martinez Croisette; Deauville: Daniel Besseiche; Honfleur: Le Fleuron; Nantes: Galerie du Palais; Paris: Sibman; and at the Bussières castle.

In Germany
Odile Kinart has exhibited at the Töpferei Museum in Langerwehe, at the Aachener Kunsthaus, and in several galleries.
Berlin: Kühn; Essen: Dagmar Reimus; Worpswede: Bollhagen.

In the United States
Odile Kinart is represented by the Buschlen Mowatt Galleries in Dallas, Texas and in Palm Desert, California.

In Canada
Kinart's work is shown in the Buschlen Mowatt Galleries in Vancouver and in Whistler Blackcomb.

Belgium
Lineart Ghent - 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000;
Classic Kortrijk - 1995, 1997, 1999.

The Netherlands
Holland Art Fair The Hague - 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000;
Kunst RAI Amsterdam - 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000

Pan Amsterdam - 1997, 1998;
Art Rotterdam - 2000.

Luxemburg
Salon de l' art contemporain - 1998.

France
St'Art Strasbourg - 1998, 1999, 2000.

Germany
Art Cologne - 1993;
Ambiente Frankfurt - 1996;
Art Multiple Düsseldorf - 1997.

Switzerland
Europ'Art Geneva - 1998, 2000;
Kunst Zurich - 2000.

Italy
Arte Padua - 2000.

Lebanon
FIAD Beyrouth - 2000;
Artual Beyrouth - 2000.

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