Foundation Award Sturza

Dirk Balke, 1960, Germany

Lives and works in Dusseldorf, Germany

Graduated from “Freie Kunstakademie Rhein-Ruhr”, Germany

Member of the International Group of Artists “Die Neuen Milben”

Important exhibitions: Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Slovakia

Works in private collections: Germany

The customary development in art is generally step by step from realism to abstraction. Dirk Balke is going the other way round even up to photorealism. This is a real challenge for Dirk Balke. He wants to find out how far emotions can be transported in this extremely realistic presentation. From his abstract period he has transformed his geometrical shapes into reality. You can see windows, gates, house fronts, all painted in central perspective.

The challenge here is to create tensions. Frontal perspective underlies a firm order and radiates calmness. In order not to appear boring, it is necessary to build up tension between emptiness and parable. Sometimes this is shown by a view behind or between objects. Sometimes it is a reflection in a window or a view through the windowpane into the space behind. Dirk Balke shows the transitory nature of life by painting the flaking off of paint on wood, stone or metal. The presentation seems so real that one is tempted to touch the canvas in order to find out whether it is reality or painted.

Realism and Dirk Balke’s tendency to tell a story create tension. Reality is hereby often transformed by the addition of bizarre shapes.

Dirk Balke works generally with oil paints. After attending the Art Academy in Essen he worked 4 years in Vienna an is now living in Düsseldorf.