Stephan Balkenhol

Known for his wooden sculptures, Stephan Balkenhol carves his figures directly from tree trunks – often wawa or cedar wood – using a mallet and a chisel, without trying to erase the traces left by his tools. This unique technique gives a sense of individuality to each sculpture, further reinforced by the colors chosen to structure and animate the figures. Placed at human height on raw wooden plinths, these men, women and even hybrid beings that seem plucked from an ephemeral tale or opera, appear both distanced and in tune with the viewer. Balkenhol's early works of male or female nudes on pedestals echo classical Greek statues. This focus on the human form set him apart from the contemporary art movements of the 1970s, when the emphasis was on abstract, Minimal and Conceptual approaches and figuration had fallen from favor. By the 1990s, his repertoire had expanded to include animals and hybrid creatures, as well as the introduction of architectural motifs and reliefs. Recent works feature contemporary figures dressed in everyday attire.