“Stephan Balkenhol” is part of the program of the side events taking place during the PhotoVogue Festival.
Student of the minimalist sculptor Ulrich Rückriem at the Academy of Hamburg, Stephan Balkenhol soon discovered his passion for the figure and raw wood: his figures characterised by color and are carved from a single piece of wood. He uses this traditional technique and nevertheless avoids the traditional heroic subjects of sculpture, focusing on normal people represented with sobriety and irony, and combining the immediacy of the figures with the minimalist tradition.
The sculptor’s gestures are visible on the wood, making the surface dynamic, while the figures maintain an enigmatic, immobile expression hiding their feelings and thoughts. The male and female figures of Balkenhol are calm and elegant; they are formal synthesis of human emotions and convey the dignity and complexity of contemporary people.
Revealing the neutral and sincere, essence of wood, the artist has been able to make prominent the sculpted subjects in their pure nature, revealing the interwoven tensions flowing among them – attraction, vulnerability, strength, play. The artworks give voice to the question we all have but we often are afraid to express out loud: “who am I?”.
“Through my work, I aim to evoke a sense of introspection and contemplation, inviting observers to question their place in the ever-evolving tapestry of contemporary existence.”, says Balkenhol.
“This new exhibition in Italy reflects my ongoing search for the human form and its relationship with the surrounding environment.” – Monica De Cardenas
Stepahn Balkenhol has exhibited in galleries and museums across Europe and the United States. His works can be found in the collections of some of the world’s most prestigious museums, including the Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, the Tate Gallery in London, the Museum für Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt, the Nationalgalerie in Berlin, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, and the National Museum of Art in Osaka, Japan.
“Stephan Balkenhol”
September 21 – November 18, 2023
Tuesday to Saturday | 11.00 – 19.00
Monica De Cardenas
via Francesco Viganò, 4
20124, Milano
Here the complete list of the other side events taking place in the same days of the Festival.
Cfp Bauer. “Is this Water”. Curated by the professors and the students of the school.Condominio. “Twin Spark”. Curated by Giulia Restifo and Alessandro Calabrese . Artists: Anca Adina Bettega, Matteo Capriotti, Caterina Dondi, and Francesca Rossi.Armani/Silos. “Guy Bourdin: Storyteller”. Curated by Giorgio Armani and the Guy Bourdin Estate. Leica Galerie. “James’ House” and “Hunting Heart”. Artists: Jacob and Sara Aue Sobol. Curated by Maurizio Beucci and Claudio Composti. Istituto italiano di Fotografia. “Ex Novo. Digestioni a catena”. Artists: Giuseppe Laera and Luigi NotarnicolaPerimetro. “MATCH!”. An experimental workshop curated by Perimetro Learn.Podbielski Contemporary. “Mirabilia”. Artist: Silvia Camporesi. Micamera. “Swim Till I Sank”. Artist: Gabriele Stabile29 Arts in Progress Gallery. “Michel Haddi: Beyond Fashion”. Still Fotografia. “Giorgio Galimberti: alchimia dell’ombra”. Curated by Alessandro Curti. Palazzo Reale. “JIMMY NELSON. Humanity”. Curated by Nicolas Ballario and Federica Crivellaro.
PhotoVogue Festival is a project directed by Alessia Glaviano (Head of Global PhotoVogue) and co-curated by Francesca Marani (Senior Photo Editor, Vogue Italia), Chiara Bardelli Nonino (Editor, Writer and Curator), Daniel Rodríguez Gordillo (Content Operations & Strategy Manager, Condé Nast) and Caterina De Biasio (Visual Editor, PhotoVogue)
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