Description
STEPHAN BALKENHOL (Fritzlar, Hesse, Germany, 1957). "Gedrehter Mann I & II", 2003. Pair of sculptures. In patinated bronze. Exemplary II/III P.A. Total edition of 7+ III P.A. Signed. Measurements: 75 x 52 x 22 cm.; 58 x 40 x 20 cm. This pair of "Twisted Men" takes us into Stephan Balkenhol's characteristic plastic work, consisting on the one hand in leaving the surfaces unpolished, enhancing the roughness of the patina, and on the other hand in focusing on insular, anonymous individuals, common men and women, without attributes. He always introduces some incongruity: in the twisted gesture, in the excessively long legs, in the minimized or maximized scale? In this case, the pair of characters is balmbolea: one seems to have plasticine legs, leaning backwards as if he had no bones, and the other seems to be making a strange bow. Generating strangeness but also empathy is what Stephan Balkenhol achieves with his endearing human figures. Renowned for his sculptures depicting the human form in different poses and positions, Stephan Balkenhol is a German sculptor. His work is transformed into a recognizable form with the use of a chisel. He attended from 1976 to 1982 the School of Fine Arts in Hamburg, under the direction of Ulrich Rückriem to whom he became a studio assistant in 1980. Balkenhol reacted to the minimalist and conceptual trends popular at the time, with mentors such as Nam June Paik and Sigmar Polke. His experience in these years would profoundly mark his later artistic practice. He received the Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Foundation scholarship in 1983 and soon after began to work as a teacher at various art schools. Among his most important solo exhibitions in recent years are: Von der Heydt-Museum, Wuppertal (1998), Sprengel Museum, Hannover (2003), National Museum of Contemporary Art, Osaka, and Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery (2005), Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden (in 2006 toured to Museum der Moderne Salzburg and MKM Museum Küppersmühle für Moderne Kunst, Duisburg), Deichtorhallen Hamburg (2008/09), Musée de Grenoble (2010/11), Kunstmuseum Ravensburg (2014) and Moscow Museum of Modern Art (2016).
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STEPHAN BALKENHOL (Fritzlar, Hesse, Germany, 1957). "Gedrehter Mann I & II", 2003. Pair of sculptures. In patinated bronze. Exemplary II/III P.A. Total edition of 7+ III P.A. Signed. Measurements: 75 x 52 x 22 cm.; 58 x 40 x 20 cm. This pair of "Twisted Men" takes us into Stephan Balkenhol's characteristic plastic work, consisting on the one hand in leaving the surfaces unpolished, enhancing the roughness of the patina, and on the other hand in focusing on insular, anonymous individuals, common men and women, without attributes. He always introduces some incongruity: in the twisted gesture, in the excessively long legs, in the minimized or maximized scale? In this case, the pair of characters is balmbolea: one seems to have plasticine legs, leaning backwards as if he had no bones, and the other seems to be making a strange bow. Generating strangeness but also empathy is what Stephan Balkenhol achieves with his endearing human figures. Renowned for his sculptures depicting the human form in different poses and positions, Stephan Balkenhol is a German sculptor. His work is transformed into a recognizable form with the use of a chisel. He attended from 1976 to 1982 the School of Fine Arts in Hamburg, under the direction of Ulrich Rückriem to whom he became a studio assistant in 1980. Balkenhol reacted to the minimalist and conceptual trends popular at the time, with mentors such as Nam June Paik and Sigmar Polke. His experience in these years would profoundly mark his later artistic practice. He received the Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Foundation scholarship in 1983 and soon after began to work as a teacher at various art schools. Among his most important solo exhibitions in recent years are: Von der Heydt-Museum, Wuppertal (1998), Sprengel Museum, Hannover (2003), National Museum of Contemporary Art, Osaka, and Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery (2005), Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden (in 2006 toured to Museum der Moderne Salzburg and MKM Museum Küppersmühle für Moderne Kunst, Duisburg), Deichtorhallen Hamburg (2008/09), Musée de Grenoble (2010/11), Kunstmuseum Ravensburg (2014) and Moscow Museum of Modern Art (2016).
