After Anke Birnie (1943) finished her studies at the Academy of Art in Utrecht, she worked for several years in the industrial world. Next to her work she still enjoyed drawing, painting, stone dressing and moulding. Moulding turned out to be the best medium for her to work out her ideas. She casts her sculptures in bronze using the ‘lost wax technique’, through which the original moulding is lost. Her sculptures are therefore almost always unique.
They are tall, slim figures with loose fitting, fluttering clothing. They walk tall with heads held high. They climb up ropes or stand in a group, listening, chatting or staring into the distance. Their attention is always directed towards what is in front of them. Energy and fragility are united in their manifestation. Conscious of their vulnerability, they have the courage to surrender to life.
People in motion and their posture are an inexhaustible source of inspiration for Anke Birnie.
