Stepan Balkenhol
∗1957, Germany
lives and works in Kassel, Karlsruhe, Berlin, Germany and Meisenthal, France
His statue of Grand homme chemise blanche, jean bleu (2003), presented in FROM HERE TO ETERNITY may be perceived as an iconic representation of Stephan Balkenhol’s entire oeuvre. Although devoid of any emotional treats, the figure of this man – anti-heroic despite being described as a "grand homme" – in a standard, everyday uniform carries the symbols of a human condition at its most basic in terms of appearance and shape. The artist "demonumentalises" the figure while at the same time providing it with a formal solidity and psychological depth. Balkenhol’s is world of archetypal representation.His alienation generates melancholia and a sense of a theatricalised, almost spiritual experience. A search for (any) belonging continues. Balkenhol builds stages for an ordinary human to manifest "Dasein", existence, in its purest
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