There are certain artists whose work seems to gain respect and recognition
despite peer pressure, trends and fashion. Stephan Balkenhol is among this
group. While his peers were pursuing Minimalism and conceptually based
work, Balkenhol burst onto the scene working with the most traditional of all
subjects - the human figure. Balkenhols figures are straightforward, simply
posed and stoic. He carves his figures in wood and clothes them in modern
day dress.
In his own words, [he] does not seek to capture heroic glories of
bygone days, but rather to demonumentalize, put unremarkable men and
women on a pedestal.2
To understand Balkenhols work it helps to recognize just how rebellious his
figures seemed when they appeared in the late 70s. Minimalism and
Conceptual Art came to prominence at that time, the endgame of a digression
where art was reduced to its most basic elements: pure ideas and pure
materials. Content, narrative and even the pedestal were removed altogether and
artwork sat directly on the floor. Art became an interesting academic exercise
with a limited audience. Like many students of his day, Balkenhol wanted to
knock art off its high horse and appeal to Everyman. But unlike his peers,
Balkenhol managed to do so while reintegrating the figure into sculpture,
pedestals and all. Why Im doing figural workis also partly a reaction to the
rather dispassionate, rational, and very insensuous art of the 70s. It was as if art
didnt or wouldnt illustrate anything, wouldnt relate anymore to what was
happening externally, but only reflect its own principles and methods and in
the end only illustrate itself.3
Despite this statement, Balkenhol also acknowledges just how important an
influence Minimalism was on his work. While a student at Hochschule Für
Bilende Künst in Hamburg, he worked closely with Ulrich Rückreim, one of Europes most influential Minimalists. Like many artists who work in
wood, Balkenhols figures are often compared to folk tradition where humorous hand-sized, carved figures proliferate. While
Balkenhols work is stylized (reduced to basic shapes and colors) wood becomes a very serious medium in his hands. He is
a consummate craftsman, creating his works with his own hands.
We see each swiftly executed stroke of Balkenhols carving
tools and can almost feel the chips flying around us as the figure takes shape. What separates this work from folk art is
Balkenhols incredible facility with the medium (at a human scale no less), the speed of his execution and the simplicity of
surface treatment. Although not trademark Minimalism, the work is stripped down, streamlined and focused.
Balkenhols use of color is equally straightforward, nothing is too brash or out of the ordinary. (He values, but dislikes the
emotional work of German Expressionists like Ernst Kirchner and Neo-Expressionist artists such as Georg Bazelitz.) Color
is applied simply in opaque shapes: pants are black, shirts are white, shoes are brown, hair is red or blonde, etc. The figures
look Northern European, like Balkenhol himself, yet in reality their race is undecipherable, skin color being determined by
the wood Balkenhol chooses to carve - knots, blemishes and all. (One female figures face has a knot centered on her cheek.
Somehow this natural mark makes her all the more human and fascinating.)
Because of the roughly chiseled nature of his work, it is easy to envision Balkenhol in his studio experimenting with new
ideas and seeking out solutions to formal problems. He will sometimes sketch figures in various poses, but mostly works
directly with the wood moving quickly from one variation to the next. He seems to constantly ask himself questions. What if
I tilt the head to the left How about placing one hand in a pocket, What if the knees are slightly bent Balkenhol takes an
equally inquisitive approach to the issue of scale: some figures are just a bit smaller than life size, some are gigantic and
some are tiny (closer to the size of dolls). Male and female figures are often represented as the same size. This constant
experimentation and questioning can also be seen in his use of the pedestal: some figures tower above us on traditional
columns of wood, some stand on thick planks or simple rounds sliced out of the midsection of a tree trunk, some are fitted
on shelves in a corner, some stand atop saw horses and some stare directly at us, at eye level, their feet on a plinth only inches
off the floor.
Ms. Mel Watkin
FCA Curator
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