Nicolas Alquin
(France) *1958 in Brussels
The work of the French artist Nicolas Alquin encompasses sculpture, drawing and book illustration. As a sculptor Alquin works with wood, bronze and iron. His best-known works are his open-air fountains and sculptures, installed in public open spaces in France and the Benelux countries in particular. The human figure is the central motif of his work, expressed in a personal, unconventional formal language. He deals with mythological and religious themes, and integrates elements of African and Australasian art, as well as Japanese influences, into his works – through which he seems to evoke an existential order and the secret of creation. The cast-bronze “Avec la Colline”, on display in “Blickachsen 8” by the Schlosspark pond, shows a contemplative figure stretched out on the ground, whose animated surface structure results from the clear traces left behind by the working of the wood model with a gouge. Against the background of its title, which emphasizes an abstract aspect of the work, the sculpture takes on an astonishing life of its own, which gives it its special fascination.