Stephan Balkenhol is a leading contemporary sculptor, renowned for his figurative wooden sculptures and reliefs.
He studied at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Hamburg from 1976 to 1982 and also holds teaching positions at several academies. His work emerged from a deliberate choice to reintroduce the human figure into a contemporary art landscape then dominated by abstraction.
Balkenhol carves his sculptures from a single block of wood using traditional hand tools, leaving visible chisel marks, natural cracks, and the texture of the material. His figures display no overt emotion and avoid sociopolitical references, functioning instead as universal, timeless archetypes.
His work is exhibited internationally and included in major public and private collections.