Baselitz famously inverts his figures in both painting and sculpture, sharing Balkenhol's interest in disrupting conventional orientation of the human form to provoke contemplation. His raw, expressive German figurative tradition closely parallels Balkenhol's unpolished aesthetic and enigmatic treatment of the body.

Houseago creates large scale figurative sculptures with deliberately rough, unfinished surfaces that carry the same quiet yet uncanny presence found in Balkenhol's wood carvings. His contemporary figurative work similarly strips the human form of dramatic polish to reveal something both raw and deeply contemplative.

Wurm's sculptural practice places human figures in absurd, physically impossible, and whimsical poses that challenge everyday notions of stability and bodily normalcy, directly echoing Balkenhol's inverted figure. Both artists use surreal figurative work to blend humor with philosophical inquiry into ordinary human existence.