Anke Birnie

The stunning bronze sculptures created by artist Anke Birnie are a stilted image of that natural earthly element "air "combined with the human element "motion".

The successful resistance of the body into the wind is tangible to the beholder. Radiating certainty and trust from every sculpture. The character of the sculpture stands as solid as a rock and at the same time uploaded with movement. The long limbs and the swirling clothing each have a strong impact on the image. It is as if the circumstances, the time of year, the wind force in autumn and the sentiments that go with it, bear no relationship to the proud, optimistic character of the figure.

One need not be an art historian to recognize in Anke Birnie's bronzes an influence of the Italian sculptor Alberto Giacometti and traces from works of his contemporary Germain Richier. Anke Birnie was trained to obtain a professional degree in art (MA) at Artibus College in Utrecht, where she followed a specialised course in sculpting techniques. Besides, from a very early age on she visited many international exhibitions of major sculptors. Granted this influence, Anke Birnie has developed her own style with much innovation.