Frode Bolhuis

Based in The Netherlands, Frode Bolhuis creates magical and emotive miniature figures in a rainbow of neon pastel colours, influenced by ancient cultures and surrealism. 

Words: Hande Renshaw I Photography: Frode Bolhuis

‘I love the human form – the expression of the human body already tells a story,’ says Frode Bolhuis. Photo: Frode Bolhuis

Frode Bolhuis’ miniature sculptures. Photo: Frode Bolhuis

‘I definitely have fun creating, for example when I'm making all my small sculptures – it’s a self-filling cup that always fills itself, it’s never empty. Sometimes it’s almost like it’s overflowing,’ say Frode Bolhuis. Photo: Frode Bolhuis

The desire to create has been engrained in The Netherlands-based sculptor Frode Bolhuis’ family for a couple of generations. His father was a sculptor and his grandfather had a strong passion for art – their support and nurturing for creativity has been an important guide in Frode’s life.

The passion to become a sculptor was ignited from a young age – when he was just 7, Frode wrote a note to his father declaring that when he was older, he would follow in his father’s footsteps.

‘When I was 10 years old, I would help my father in his studio on Saturdays – just cleaning up and helping out,’ says Frode. In his sixteenth year, Frode travelled to England to work as an apprentice alongside a family friend. On his return, he announced that sculpting was definitely the path for him, ‘I loved the freedom it gave me and I had started to dislike school… to my astonishment, my father responded encouragingly to follow my dreams.’

After travelling back to England to attend art college, Frode focused on monumental sculpting, such as large sculptures within parks. He drew inspiration from Isamu Noguchi, an American designer and landscape architect, who worked on monumental designs such as city squares, yet also shifted his focus on smaller objects including furniture and lighting.

Twenty years later, Frode has come full circle and found his groove and biggest passion so far, creating miniature works of the human form.

‘I changed from being very broad and wanting to do everything from sculpture to architecture, to narrowing it down to the figures that I’m making now. I feel like I’ve hit the jackpot and this is my true calling.’

Today, Frode’s creative process is incredibly skilled and refined; what used to take almost a week to make, now takes him a couple of days.

‘I used to be terribly slow and I think this was due to insecurity. I just didn’t trust myself and thought I had to really understand what I was doing. But that’s changed through the years and I’ve learned that my intuition knows best and I don’t need to understand it, I just have to follow it.’

‘I just think [what I create] is so magical – I love it and I love that people love it,’ says Frode Bolhuis, pictured in his studio in Almere, The Netherlands. Photo: Frode Bolhuis

Frode Bolhuis’ daily miniature sculptures in his studio. Photo: Frode Bolhuis

Frode Bolhuis’ miniature sculptures in a rainbow of neon pastels line his studio walls. Photo: Frode Bolhuis

“Having this endless flow of work coming up – that’s been magic. I don’t even think it’s in my control, I feel like it’s a massive gift from the universe.”

— FRODE BOLHUIS

Armour of softness by Frode Bolhuis. Photo: Frode Bolhuis

While we dream of freedom by Frode Bolhuis. Photo: Frode Bolhuis

For those who love are not lost sculpture by Frode Bolhuis. Photo: Frode Bolhuis

Frode Bolhuis’ daily miniature sculptures. Photo: Frode Bolhuis

Frode’s magical miniature sculptures, which he refers to as “daily sculptures” are emotionally charged. Each portray standing poses that are subtly different to the next, showing emotion through the body’s form.

‘I love the human form – the expression of the body already tells a story: through the human expression, we immediately see when a person is sad, when a person is happy or when a person is absent or he’s thinking of something else,’ says Frode.

Interestingly, the sculptures never end up as he first imagines, ‘I start working and it always changes – something different always happens and I follow that lead. It’s a funny way of working… it feels like a small adventure every single time, most of the time I’m surprised by the result as anyone would be.’

Frode uses polymer clay to create his sculptures, a material he’s been usually non-stop for the last few years, ‘There are no other people involved in the process, it’s just me and it’s easy to apply textiles and metals onto the clay.’

The finished miniature sculptures are painted in a rainbow of neon pastel colours, ‘I’m really drawn to pastel colours, basically colours with a lot of white in them – I feel like everyone has a colour palette they’re most drawn to and these are the colours I love the most.’

When prompted about what’s coming up for the remainder of this year and whether a solo exhibition is on the cards, Frode tells me cheerfully the he’s cancelling everything for now!

‘I am so caught up in the daily sculptures and I love it so much, that I’m cancelling my exhibitions for the remainder of this year. I find it can be distracting – I need the time to do what I love, so I’m making time to do it.’ We can’t wait to see more!

Frode Bolhuis uses polymer clay to create his sculptures, a material he’s been usually non-stop for the last few years. Photo: Frode Bolhuis

‘I’ve learned that my intuition knows best and I don’t need to understand it, I just have to follow it,’ says Frode Bolhuis. Photo: Frode Bolhuis

Frode Bulhuis’ solo exhibition Magic at Galerie Bart in 2021. Photo: Frode Bolhuis

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