Something is Happening at Kunsthal brings together works by sculptor Stephan Balkenhol

German Stephan Balkenhol is among the most authentic and celebrated sculptors of his generation. He is known for his figurative wooden sculptures and reliefs, in which traditional craft merges with contemporary art. From 24 May, Kunsthal will present over 35 works of art with the exhibition Stephan Balkenhol. Something is Happening, Kunsthal brings together over 35 works that bring his characteristic universe to life. The exhibition can be visited until 14 September 2025.

In simple, striking forms, Balkenhol shapes his figures: a man with the head of a hedgehog, a shark in which a man is hidden, and a monumental sculpture of the Greek hero Perseus with the head of Medusa. In HAL 3, Kunsthal Rotterdam shows a varied collection of wooden sculptures and reliefs. Balkenhol's imagery is rooted in European art history, with influences from Ancient Egypt, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. At the same time, they exude an ordinariness that invites personal interpretation.

About Stephan Balkenhol

Stephan Balkenhol studied at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Hamburg from 1976 to 1982, where he was taught by Ulrich Rückriem, Nam June Paik and Sigmar Polke, among others. He lives and works in Kassel, Karlsruhe and Berlin (Germany) and Meisenthal (France) and was a professor at the Staatliche Akademie der Bildendenden Künste Karlsruhe. Balkenhol exhibits worldwide and his work is part of numerous art collections, including those of Hirshhorn Museum Washington, Centre Pompidou Paris and Peggy Guggenheim Collection Venice. His work can be seen in prestigious museums worldwide and in public spaces, where his monumental sculptures occupy a meaningful place, including the Richard Wagner Denkmal in Leipzig (2013). A new work was unveiled on Friday 4 April 2025, commissioned by concert hall de Doelen in Rotterdam: a sculpture of Dutch composer Willem Pijper (1894-1947).