TIM GROEN

I was born in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, in 1967. The work that I am currently creating is inspired by (my) childhood, and the environment and generation in which I grew up. I started working on these pieces in the summer of 1999, incorporating wallpaper and elements drawn from nurseries and kindergartens. I work with wallpaper on canvas, paper and wood panels.

Working with vintage wallpaper with a strong predetermined pattern, I am always pleasantly surprised by the way in which the material transforms itself, once cut into shapes and mounted on a background. I am fascinated by circles, for their symbolic significance as well as their playfulness. At times these compositions of cut-out shapes resemble a forest, an underwater scene or even a game. Frequently I impose an image onto these environments with paint and needle and thread. The act of sewing continues the idea of “pattern”, as it relates to the wallpaper.

Often times the imagery is an animal or creature of some kind. Drawn from my memories of childhood, these archetypes can represent vulnerability, loneliness or, for example, mischief. The meaning of the works often arises out of the physical process of the image making itself. I am currently planning an installation consisting of an entire wallpapered room, with my works installed on these patterned and treated walls. This installation would further expand the idea of how environment can evoke memory, and would show how important context is to perception.