Published on the occasion of the exhibition held at CAC Malaga, Centro de Arte Contemporaneo de Malaga, Spain, January 19-April 22, 2018. Text in English and Spanish.
Summary:
The exhibition features more than thirty sculptures selected from the most significant works the German artist has produced in recent years. Balkenhol, who has not shown his work in Spain for more than ten years, mainly uses wood to create his everyday figures and his sculptures bear visible traces of the carving process. The coarseness of the planed areas contrasts with the smoothness of the polished ones, generating a remarkable interplay of textures in his work. An eerie silence accompanies Balkenhol’s trademark and seemingly common figures. The artist invites viewers to try and discover the unique reality he creates. German artist Stephan Balkenhol began his sculptural process of figurative woodcarving in the mid-1980s. By placing the human figure at the centre of his work, he reintroduced it to contemporary sculpture. Balkenhol operates on the boundary between the modern and the avant-garde while respecting the legacy of traditional and classical sculpture. Although his oeuvre displays a rather pessimistic attitude of humankind and society, it also shows signs that suggest hope. This catalogue features many of his freestanding, brightly painted wood figures, along with carved two-dimensional scenes and other objects.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.