Frans Gentils was born on April 26, 1951 in Turnhout, as the son of the Belgian sculptor Vic Gentils. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent: Sculpture, painting and graphics. Frans Gentils creates his art from a passion for archaeology, physics and the theory of evolution. In his drawings as well as in his paintings he combines fossil shapes, human body parts and animal elements. He often uses old industrial sites, harbour areas, landfill sites, as well as natural history museums as a workplace, this is clearly noticeable in both subject and background. Throughout his quest, the artist noticed the similarities between fossil shapes and the remains of human activity from society. Not only the idea of waste as upcoming archaeological finds, but also the influence of man on his living environment. In addition to these material aspects, the mind also plays an important role. With a free spirit the artist creates and also stimulates the imagination of the viewer. Past and present merge in his work towards a new ‘future’, which surpasses Darwinism as it were. A boundless conception of the potential evolution that includes the mystical, a symbiosis of science and creativity. Another facet of Frans Gentils’ oeuvre is a series of ‘dark sense’ drawings. He creates portraits in complete darkness, thus depriving himself of the visual and using only the sense of touch. An innovative form of portraiture in which his psyche masters the absolute behind body and mind with the unknown.