XVI. International Forum

Bodytalk – The Return of the Human Figure in Contemporary Sculpture

"As to the hands, it can scarcely be told of what a variety of motions they are susceptible, since they almost equal in expression the powers of language itself." Quintilian, De Institutio Oratoria, 35–100 A.D.

Introduction to the Forum theme

In the aftermath of World War II, the human figure largely disappeared from Western art. Exploited by both Nazi and Soviet regimes for ideological purposes, figuration became taboo. “I had to reinvent the figure,” said German sculptor Stephan Balkenhol — and so began a process of rediscovery.

By the 1980s, the tide shifted. A "narrative turn" in art reflected growing uncertainty in a world undergoing rapid change. Artists began to use the body once more — not as an object of propaganda or beauty, but as a vehicle for existential questioning. This “conceptual figuration” is not about delivering answers, but about inviting reflection. Through gesture, posture, and material, artists pose fundamental questions about human existence — and they do so without prescribing meaning.

The Sculpture Network Forum Berlin 2026 focuses on gesture in conceptual figuration: how these silent figures speak to our bodies us in a language we all know. In rapidly changing times, artists use the gesturing body to communicate their questions about life, addressing themes as the body, sexuality, mortality, identity, love, power, technology and our relation to nature. Unlike the monumental sculptures of the past, which stood above us and dictated meaning from their pedestals, today's figures stand on the same level as the viewer. They meet us eye to eye. This “conceptual figuration” is not about delivering answers. In a fragmented world, these gesturing figures invite us to reflect.

Curator: Anne Berk (NL) Chairperson of Sculpture Network, Curator and Authour
Co-Curator: Anemone Vostell (DE) Board Member of Sculpture Network and Cultural Manager

Download the Booklet of the event here.