The output of sculptor Stephan Balkenhol (born 1957 in Fritzlar, Germany) consists of figurative work in wood, which he crafts from a single unworked block. His freehand chipping and carving of the wood is reminiscent of a draughtsman’s pencil sketching and results in pieces that are to some extent deliberately sketchy in feel, an air that is reinforced by the loose splinters that he leaves sticking out and by his use of loose pigments in the finish.
One could not say that any given line in Balkenhol’s sculptures is worked out to a detailed conclusion, yet the overall effect is nevertheless quite realistic and compelling. As the artist puts it, “Mine are open images: you have to imagine the stories yourself.”* Accordingly, the figures featuring in Balkenhol’s œuvre, rather than being individuals as such, are universal archetypes that allow viewers to project their own stories onto them.
* Simons, R. (1998, December). De boom en de beeldhouwer. Villa d’Arte, 61-69.
