Christian Hinz

Christian Hinz (*1964, Birkenfeld an der Nahe, DE) creates architectural sculptures that showcase the pieces of granite he finds. Hinz's work explores the tension between dressed and undressed stone, and features references to architectural elements. The stair-like arrangement of this work's three elements is evocative of a serial perpetuation, where the same basic shape used over and over grows taller, like a building. What distinguishes this piece from an architectural structure is the counterpoint between smooth, finished surface and unhewn stone: Hinz refuses to square off blunt edges and maintains the undulating, rugged texture left by splitting a block of stone. A student of Paolozzi, Hinz seeks to lay bare the creation process in the finished work. The sculpture is created less by extracting a new form from the material than by chipping away the excess stone to reveal and accentuate the sculpture that already exists within.