From an art-historical point of view, abstract sculpture has been of major importance over the last 25 years. With that said, Stephan Balkenhol has been developing a position since the 1980s that has rekindled the interest of art in the possibility of representational sculpture. His figures face the viewer without any pathos, theatrical gestures, or expressiveness. Although his sculptures are unobtrusive and appear unpretentious with regard to their materiality - most of them are made of coloured wood - they do develop an intensity that attracts the viewer, again and again.
From 1976 to 1982, Balkenhol was a student of Ulrich Rückriem at the Kunstakademie Hamburg and was long his assistant. As early as 1971, he began to experiment with sculptures and made collages as well as assemblages in the tradition of Dada. From 1973 on, he started carving wooden sculptures of heads, then nudes and eventually clothed figures. His works were shown at numerous museum exhibitions at home and abroad.
