Khaled Rafiqpoor
Born 1969 in Kabul (Afghanistan)
I describe myself as a modern nomad.
Born in Kabul, raised and shaped in Germany,
I studied and trained in
Germany, Switzerland, Great Britain, and the United States.
I have worked in Germany, the UK, and
now in the Netherlands.
As an anesthesiologist, I am confronted every day with
care, vulnerability, precision, time, and healing.
These intense experiences from the operating room
became the raw material for my artistic inspiration.
Art has accompanied me throughout my life.
I was drawing with pencil — never very actively or regularly,
but the fascination never left me.
I was particularly captivated by how artists could capture an object, an emotion, or an entire world with just a few simple strokes. Over the years I visited countless exhibitions around the world, trying to understand not only the artwork itself, but also the artist behind it, the historical context, and the deeper layers of meaning.
When I met an artist, who works with metal,
something shifted.
He encouraged me to create something myself.
That was the moment
I exchanged the pencil for steel.
Suddenly I had only one line,
one piece of metal
to express my impressions.
No shading, no corrections,
no second chances.
The reduction became the challenge
and the freedom.
In this extreme simplicity,
I found a new and powerful way
to translate the feelings and observations
from my medical world into something tangible.
My sculptures are born from this tension:
the intense, sterile reality of the operating room on one side,
and the quiet, poetic freedom of abstract form
on the other.
Explore the process
The Studio
- a glance behind the scenes -
From the initial idea
and heavy metalwork
to the final, quiet presence
of the completed piece.
A sculpture is born!
From Idea to MasterpiecE
Shaping Steel
strength of steel
BRINGING PieCES TOGETHER
the finishing touches.
