ReA! Flashback Friday with Kim Gromoll

My research is about the world of form and the formless, where everything originates, and the deeper layers of life. The source of being.

What have you been up to in the last two years since we last saw you at Rea Art Fair 2020?

Of course, the whole covid situation wasn't very positive for the Art world, but luckily I can only count successes so far. In 2021 - 2022 I received a stipend for emerging artists, and I managed to organise two of my first solo exhibitions in Maastricht (NL).

Would you like to tell us more about your solo exhibitions?

My two solo exhibitions meant a lot to me since I organised it all by myself, and when reflecting on this experience, it represented Night and Day/ Inside and Outside/ Internal and External. The first solo exhibition, called 'The Unseen Sun', took place at night and celebrated the phenomenon of light with various natural appearances. Through interactive installations, a magical and enriching experience unfolded on a scientific and spiritual plane. The exhibition felt like a reflection on myself and all physical beings, and thus could also be seen as a radiating self-portrait of the essence. The second exhibition, 'Beyond', showed a part of the series 'The Enlightenment of Plant' and the work 'Flower', which I also exhibited at the Rea Art Prize Exhibition ('Routes') in 2021. The 'Beyond' exhibition was about the expression of flowers, the source and essence of being and the inner beauty of a plant. At the same time, the flowers serve as mirrors so that we can recognise ourselves in another being through a different degree of consciousness.

A little curiosity: The place where the exhibition was held is called 'Hae', which stands for 'sun' or 'day' in Korean, as I found out later.

Kim Gromoll, The Enlightenment of Plant, 2022 © KimGromoll

You mentioned many terms related to the natural world; how do you feel contemporary Art addresses this issue today, and what do you want to bring into the debate?

You have a lot of 'nature art' these days, with which many artists want the viewer to gain awareness about the environmental crisis. I would put my artworks in a more poetic category paired with spirituality and nature. For me, this kind of Art is still on the rise, spirituality is only sometimes accepted or understood, but more and more people are interested in it. They often connect with what I am showing but have yet to understand it. For example, when it comes to Beauty.

What words describe the themes you want to explore with your Art and research?

My research is about the world of form and the formless, where everything originates, and the deeper layers of life. The source of being. This, together with an interest in beauty, transformation, life and death. Of course, my work exists in the environmental category for many people, and that's okay. It's all somehow connected, anyway.

Kim Gromoll, The Unseen Sun Exhibition, 2022 © KimGromoll

Name a recent event that you think has improved your artistic research.

I recently moved into a new place. This gave me the possibility to have my atelier at home. Finding a new rhythm and balance will take a little more time, but I am very excited about it.

Any ideas about your future artistic projects?

Yes, there are many ideas that I want to realise. I have a book full of it and some projects I am working on. So follow my Instagram to know what it's all about!

Toward what horizons would you like to move your artistic research soon?

Towards horizons that I could have never imagined. To move through the different layers of 'being' beyond the material and make it somehow tangible and understandable for people.

REA QUESTION

What do you think is the recipe for ever-growing artistic research?

Follow your intuition and your heart. Trust your feelings, try things, make mistakes and reflect on them!