The sculptures of Mahinis reveal an artist who combines taste, intelligence, craftsmanship and elegance. Out of a rough and weighty material like the "pierre bleue du Hainaut" he fashions delicate and seemingly light structures that remind us of the "lace made of stone" (a metaphor used by the poet Emile Verhaeren to describe the towers of our gothic cathedrals). Working with elements that show hollowed and filled details, he makes statues which are variations on highly personal themes, such as Sequence and Interrelation. No eye can really get sated on the intricate and sensuous creations of Mahinis. Some sculptures are detachable, not solely for the sake of an easier transport, but mainly because they are modular. In consequence, the parts can often be combined, according to the inspiration of the artist, to the architectural environment where the work will eventually be placed, to the agreement (reached thanks to a frank and mutually enriching exchange of ideas) between the artist and the person who commissions the work. For Mahinis, the real encounter with his works begins in his studio in Buzet or in Braine-l'Alleud (both close to Nivelles), where one can see his sculptures from any and all angles. Therefore the pages of this site devoted to his work lack, on purpose, any will of systemization. They invite you to a pre-exploration, a way to "smell" his work before the actual eye- and manual contact in his workrooms.
Education : Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Brussels.
Award : Prix Horlait-Dapsens (2001).
Award : Prix Godecharle for sculpture 2003
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