Stephan Balkenhol, Untitled (1998)
Wood is the material from which Stephan Balkenhol creates his human figures. He uses the wood to point out, rather literally, that there is still a lot of ‘smoothing’ and ‘finishing’ work to be done on real human beings and especially on their interpersonal relations.
Metaphorically, Balkenhol wants to show that it is precisely the unfinished or imperfect nature of man that makes him human. Splinters, chips and gnarls are left in the wood, in the same way that life leaves it imprints and makes its marks on people.
People are the greatest source of inspiration for Balkenhol. The generalized character of his Almere muses does not indicate a uniform portrayal of mankind, but refers precisely to the way an individual relates to the society in which he or she lives. In this case, the location of the work is very much essential. When the building in Muzenpark was erected, Almere, that started out as an ideal city for families, took the first step towards a residential situation for individuals. On this crossroads, where new directions can be taken, the muses turn about with the wind. Their position seems absolutely fixed, but the absence of eye contact immediately belies that balance. The figures look neither at each other, nor at the viewer. Balkenhol seems to want to say that it is only human to lose your balance once in a while on the merry-go-round of life from which no-one can escape. But in spite of this serious undertone, the artist also offers a lot of humour that puts things into perspective. The isolation of some of his human figures, for instance, is alleviated by animals. Perhaps we can sometimes feel better in the silent company of a monkey or a penguin than in the presence of a fellow human being.
Read the personal story of art ambassador Joke Willemze about the artwork of Stephan Balkenhol.
Stephan Balkenhol, Untitled
Stephan Balkenhol, b. 1957, Fritzlar, Hessen, Germany
Untitled, 1998
wood, paint
scale model, h. 55.5 cm, diameter 40 cm
donated in 1998, Museum De Paviljoens
Contributions
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