"Sphaera" by Stephan Balkenhol [Salzburg - 7 December 2013]

Salzburgh Art Project 2007

"Sphaera" by Stephan Balkenhol

Wurth Collection, Inv. 15611

 

For his contribution to the Salzburg Art Project, Balkenhol has created not one but two sculptures, which hold their ownas autonomous works of art at their respective sites while establishing thought-provoking links with the Old Town. A man standing on a sphere and a woman in a rock face, the former sculpture prominent without being overdramatic, the latter exuding great tranquillity yet equaly compelling. The artist draws the viewer's eye to two different aspects of his capacity for sculptural expression.

Balkenhol has succeeded in infusing figurative sculpture with fresh life by leaving it open to a great range of interpretation. His sculptures appear to reflect everyday reality, their attire, attributes, and poses seemingly clearly identifiable. Yet these outwardly emotionless figures have a strangely enigmatic, anonymous, and fictitious aspect. They move along the thin line between recognitionand doubt, proximity and distance - and this is precisely what makes them so fascinating to the viewer.

The sculpture "Sphaera", on Kapitelplatz, is about nine meters in height, including the pedestal. It represents a male figure standing in a relaxed pose on a golden sphere. Black trousers, white shirt, neutral attitude and expression - this man might be a nodding acquaintance, or he might be everyman. The same neutrality characterizes Balkenhol's about 135 cm-tall female counterpart, "Woman inthe Rock", inserted in the rock face on Toscaninihof. Neither figure tells us its story, being first and foremost what meets the eye: a larger-than-life man on a sphere and a smaller-than-life woman in a rock face. Whether or not there is more behind them - an art historical quotation, a religious or political commentary - is a question the artist purposefully leaves open. This is where we, as viewers, come in.

With Stephan Balkenhol, the Salzburg Foundation presents an artist who has had years of experience with art in the public domain. His public sculptures are all the more provocative for their apparent simplicity and nonchalance. Thanks to their lack of overt drama and straightforward content, they counteract the - frequently abused - tradition of public monuments.

Stephan Balkenhol (*1957 in Fritzlar/Hesse) studied at the Hamburg Accademy of Fine Arts under Ulrich Ruckriem. His international career began with the award of the Karl-Schmidt-Rottluff Scholarship in 1983. There followed numerous exhibitions across the world. His public sculptures are on viewin cities such as London, Paris, Berlini, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Hamburg. Since 1992 Stephan Balkenhol has held a professorship at the Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe.

 

This artwork is owned by the Wurth Group and was acquired in 2013.

It has been provided to the public and the City of Salzburg on loan.

In cooperation with the Salzburg Foundation 2013.

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