Kuss by Stephan Balkenhol, a silkscreen print on chipboard from 2000, captures a tender moment of intimacy between two figures. The grain of the chipboard shows through the print, adding a rustic and natural texture that complements the raw simplicity of the image. This wood-like texture softens the romantic embrace, giving it a timeless, almost nostalgic quality. Known for his exploration of everyday moments and human expression, Balkenhol uses the material’s texture to enhance the emotional resonance of the scene. With a limited edition of only 50 prints and 20 artist proofs, this work combines technique and material to create a heartfelt depiction of closeness and connection.
Stephan Balkenhol (Germany, 1957) is a celebrated sculptor known for his painted wooden figures that combine simplicity with emotional depth. Often depicting everyday people, his works explore themes of identity and humanity while maintaining a sense of mystery. Balkenhol’s art bridges traditional craftsmanship and contemporary expression, earning him recognition worldwide.
Silkscreen on chipboardSilkscreen is a printmaking method that uses a screen made of silk or other mesh fabric. The screen is treated with a substance that blocks ink in certain areas, allowing ink to pass through only in the desired sections. Each color in the print requires a separate screen.
Kuss by Stephan Balkenhol, a silkscreen print on chipboard from 2000, captures a tender moment of intimacy between two figures. The grain of the chipboard shows through the print, adding a rustic and natural texture that complements the raw simplicity of the image. This wood-like texture softens the romantic embrace, giving it a timeless, almost nostalgic quality. Known for his exploration of everyday moments and human expression, Balkenhol uses the material’s texture to enhance the emotional resonance of the scene. With a limited edition of only 50 prints and 20 artist proofs, this work combines technique and material to create a heartfelt depiction of closeness and connection.
Stephan Balkenhol (Germany, 1957) is a celebrated sculptor known for his painted wooden figures that combine simplicity with emotional depth. Often depicting everyday people, his works explore themes of identity and humanity while maintaining a sense of mystery. Balkenhol’s art bridges traditional craftsmanship and contemporary expression, earning him recognition worldwide.
In my vision my sculptures become a question, a mirror. And it is the viewer who fills it with meaning.
- Stephan Balkenhol
Acclaimed for his carvings that depict the human-form in a multitude of poses and positions, Stephan Balkenhol is a German sculptor and painter. His sculptures are often carved from blocks of wood with the use of traditional tools – his work is then transformed into a recognisable form with the use of a chisel, light painting of the surface and the creation of highlights and shadows through gradation. His earliest works included the nude form of a human atop a pedestal, works that recalled classical Greek busts – his attention to detail highlights such features as the curve of the eyebrow or the volume of the lip. Balkenhol’s most recent works are largely created with no apparent emotion to detect, and no obvious political or social critique; of this, Balkenhol has stated, “I’m perhaps proposing a story and not telling the end, just giving a beginning or fragment. There is still a lot for the spectator to complete.”
A found object is a term used to describe a man-made or natural object, or a fragment of one, that an artist discovers or purchases and keeps for inspiration or as a work of art. The artist may also modify the object or incorporate it into a collage or assemblage, transforming it into a new piece of art.