Stephan Balkenhol

Delightful exhibition at the Stephen Friedman Gallery of new work by the sculptor Stephan Balkenhol.

I loved the description in the press release that Balkenhol’s focus in is on normality and he aims to present the start of a story, to present you with a figure which you then imagine a life and story for.

The first room was dedicated to four small figures on plinths. Each was just about a foot tall but they showed the image and stance of people so delightfully. You felt they were all in a street together but not communicating. Carved from wood you initial view is of highly finished works but when you look closely there are splinters left so the underlying material integral to the object.

I also liked his wall sculptures including two lovely portraits, carved and painted from wood. Again they were roughly cut but very real with the carving rather than the pigment giving the shape and light and shade of the face. My favourite was a larger plaque of a man in a green suit against a brick wall. Each brick in the background was carefully carved out and I liked the contrast of the red brick and green suit.

Closed on 22 April 2017

 

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