Khaled Rafiqpoor
Born 1969 in Kabul (Afghanistan)
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I describe myself as a modern nomad.
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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.
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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.
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Art has accompanied me throughout my life.
I was drawing with pencil — never very actively or regularly,
but the fascination never left me.
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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.
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That was the moment
I exchanged the pencil for steel.
Suddenly I had only one line,
one piece of metal
to express my impressions.
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No shading, no corrections,
no second chances.
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The reduction became the challenge
and the freedom.
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In this extreme simplicity,
I found a new and powerful way
to translate the feelings and observations
from my medical world into something tangible.
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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 -
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From the initial idea
and heavy metalwork
to the final, quiet presence
of the completed piece.
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A sculpture is born!
From Idea to MasterpiecE
Shaping Steel
strength of steel
BRINGING PieCES TOGETHER
the finishing touches.