Titel: Zijwaarts

Bronze unique statue.

Artist: Anke Birnie

Profile artist:

Anke Birnie's bronze sculptures are a tranquil representation of the natural element 'air' combined with the human element 'movement'. The successful resistance of the body to the elements is palpable to the viewer. As a result, every image radiates certainty and confidence. The character of the image is rock solid and at the same time swirling. The long limbs and the flowing clothing contribute significantly to this. It is as if the circumstances, the season, the wind in autumn and the accompanying mood, have no influence on the proud, optimistic character of the figure. Those who are well versed in art history will recognize in the sculptures of Anke Birnie the influence of the sculptor Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966) and traces of his contemporary Germaine Richier (1904-1959). This is not surprising, because Anke Birnie received a professional training in art at the Artibus academy in Utrecht, where she was taught sculpture techniques. In addition, from her early childhood she has visited many international exhibitions by these leading sculptors. As befits a good artist, the influence of the great masters can be traced back, but Anke Birnie has developed her own style innovatively. Standing figures in silent movement, depicted in one or more persons, characterize the early work of Anke Birnie. She then makes different torsos over a period of time, which are presented on a standard. The torsos appear to be a new interpretation of images from classical antiquity. The experiments she then carries out in different materials and techniques eventually led to a special series of aluminum sculptures. Lately Anke Birnie has been concentrating on the relationship between image and environment. First she positions her figures sitting on a wall. She decides to attach these images to the wall as objects, which changes the perception of the images from three-dimensional to almost two-dimensional. The wall as a support turns out not to be strictly necessary for this experience and the sculptural solution that Birnie finds is innovative: hanging images. Hanging on the wall, on the gutter or freely in the room. In this way, three-dimensionality has re-appeared in Anke Birnie's current work. The work of Anke Birnie is represented in various (public) corporate collections and in the collection of many enthusiastic private collectors.