Biography

In July 1992 Jenny Reynaert held her first exhibition in Koksijde . At that time she also presented her first work in bronze: "Dance". A successful experiment was the special processing of wax and jute into bronze. That same year Jenny Reynaert was selected in the National Competition for Sculpture of the August Vermeylenfonds Oostende with the work "Pic", a half-polished, half-roughly cut stone in red French marble from the "Pic de Vissou" in Hérault, which is mounted on a rusty support beam. Also in 1992 she won the first prize for sculpture in the art competition of the Committee for the Promotion of Art in Veurne.

In August 1993 she again took part in the National Competition for Sculpture of the August Vermeylenfonds Oostende with two untitled compositions in bluestone and lead sheet and was selected again.

In June 1994 Jenny Reynaert started her own sculpture studio "Zuydcoote" along the Havengeul in Nieuwpoort. There she created abstract images and compositions of people in various materials: baked clay, bronze and stone. The figures represent individual types or small groups of people, who are in relation to each other. Since then she has participated in various exhibitions.

In 2002 Jenny Reynaert opened a second studio in Wulpen (Koksijde, halfway between Veurne and Nieuwpoort) and now this spacious workhouse is her only studio and exhibition space. The space was opened by the entire board of aldermen of Koksijde and it was then decided to entrust the execution of the sculpture group "Blij weerzien" near the new Florizoonebrug in Wulpen to Jenny Reynaert.

The municipal authorities also chose Jenny Reynaert's "Winner" trophy and awarded this large statue to the winner of the Flanders Ladies Tennis Trophy Koksijde tennis tournament for seven years in a row. Jenny Reynaert recently took part in a competition organised by the OCMW-Veurne and was the laureate with the impressive group of statues "Never Alone". This creation has now been installed in the garden adjacent to the car park of the rest and care centre "Ter Linden" in Veurne.

Jenny Reynaert mainly uses clay and wax as materials. The clay sculptures have significantly more volume, are modelled and baked in one piece and are unique works. The wax sculptures are intended to be converted into bronze using the lost wax technique. The bronze work mainly consists of elongated and slender figures, representing individual types or small groups of people who are in relationship with each other.

Koksijde, her birthplace, is an important breeding ground for her creativity. She not only found inspiration there, but also a community of artists – George Grard, Fernand Vanderplancke, Jean-Pierre Zinjé and Walter Vilain – who came before and helped shape the atmosphere of the place. Jenny Reynaert also has a beautiful workshop there, where she builds her multifaceted oeuvre.

As an artist, Reynaert works with an open mind. She has never been seduced by -isms or temporary fashion trends, but has always continued to follow her own path. Her oeuvre includes original sculptural ceramics, surprising bronze statues and refined marble sculptures. Her education at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ostend (1985–1995) laid a solid foundation, after which she soon received honourable mentions and prizes in numerous art competitions. Since 1992 she has exhibited regularly, both solo and in groups.

Her ceramic work focuses on the human experience. Themes such as love, friendship, security and physicality are recurring. Her figures, often without theatrical gestures, exude a modest power. She uses coarse chamotte clay with a high melting point, which gives her sculptures a rough, lived-in texture and reinforces the emotional intensity. Titles such as Same Desires, Unique Couple, and Never Alone underline her attention to the human condition and the search for connection.

In addition to clay, she also works in stone. Her preference goes out to materials such as Belgian bluestone, Finnish soapstone, Burgundian limestone and marble – white Carrara marble, black Mazy marble, pink marble from Portugal, red marble from the Hérault – which she knows how to work with an exceptional sensitivity. The work Straight in bluestone or Slender woman in Mazy marble are striking examples of this. By playing with polished and rough parts, and with dimensions and placement in space, sculptures are created that resonate not only aesthetically but also sensually.

Her stone sculptures are generally more abstract than her ceramic work, exploring the essence of form and material rather than the figurative. In bronze she finds a medium that allows her to express movement, lines and elegance. These sculptures function almost like three-dimensional poetry: subtle, but full of meaning.

Sometimes she combines materials in an intriguing way: bronze with bluestone, or with Carrara marble and iron. Larger commissions, such as the sculpture group Blij weerzien on the bridge over the canal in Wulpen, also testify to her versatility.

Although her work is not easy to classify into a movement, she consciously situates herself in a tradition that goes back to Giacometti, Moore and Brancusi. Yet her work remains unmistakably her own. She does not want to make copies or design decoration, but to create something that did not exist before – something that touches the viewer and stays with him.

Jenny Reynaert creates images that are inspired. Each work is the result of an inner adventure that translates into tangible form. Her oeuvre balances on the intersection of figuration and abstraction, is rooted in tradition but breathes innovation. She gives shape to human existence as she experiences it – not as abstract philosophy, but as a poetic reality, full of hope, love and beauty.