Frode Bolhuis
1979 born in the Netherlands
1996-1998 Apprentice of sculptors Edwin Russell and Lorne Mckean London (UK)
1998-2002 Art college Minerva Groningen (NL)
Lives and works in Almere (NL
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The work of Frode Bolhuis grows from an irrepressible desire to discover his true identity. Bolhuis pictures himself as a reservoir filled with memories and feelings, values and opinions, ideas and fantasies, traditions and discoveries, talents and achievements.
For his art he draws on this reservoir. The reservoir grows fuller day by day, although not everything ends up in there.
Selections from the immeasurable fullness of life are constantly made, sometimes consciously, sometimes subconsciously. "That can go into the reservoir, this can't." What remains is what makes up Frode Bolhuis, at least in theory. What he does with his art is nothing more or less than testing out that theory, over and over again.
All his widely divergent works share a common identity, making each and every piece a typical Bolhuis in appearance as well as in spirit. All his work is characterized by a wispy transparency, something intangible.
He uses water colours instead of opaque paints, a thin grey pencil instead of thick black chalk. Even the heavy bronze is not bold and shiny, but seemingly fragile and delicate as skin. The public immediately realizes that the object is not just a reference, a symbol or an illustration, but nothing less than a piece of living matter which breathes and has a heart beat and directly connects with people on an emotional level.
Photo credits Maarten van Houten, Frode Bolhuis