Tomio Koyama Gallery 小山登美夫ギャラリー

【Introduction】
Sculptor Stephan Balkenhol carves giant tree trunks to free the humans and animals trapped within. They stand in front of sculpted reliefs of landscapes and geometric patterns with distant expressions.
These include sculptures of enlarged human heads, portraits in relief, and fanciful animals. The spark that led to these various forms was created during the 1970s and 80s, during the minimal and conceptual art movements, and it continues in Balkenhol’s style of wooden sculptures. The roughly-carved surface and the bold process of sculpting results in a reality that is stripped to its most basic form of representation. The combination of background relief and foreground sculpture lead to an experimental display of both the second and third dimensions. Whether a sculpture contains a solitary figure or a group, Balkenhol repeats the production of constructing spaces, which results in works that speak volumes about contemporary life.

【Concept】
This exhibition features 14 new sculptures, including one backed by a large 9 m2 relief and one that measures 2 meters tall. 10 drawings will be also shown.