KRISTOPHER GRUNERT

KRISTOPHER GRUNERT BIO/ARTIST STATEMENT

MY PHOTOGRAPHS CAPTURE “THE URBAN VOID” – FAMILIAR
SPACES WITHIN THE NOCTURNE CITY LANDSCAPE THAT
ARE OFTEN OVERLOOKED, I TRANSCEND THEM TO SUBLIME
BEAUTY.
EXHIBITING MY PHOTOGRAPHS AS BACKLIT PRINTS IN LIGHT
BOXES CAME FROM A DESIRE TO SHARE WITH THE VIEWERS
THE MOST REALISTIC EXPERIENCE OF THE SCENE IN WHICH
I PHOTOGRAPH. IN ESSENCE, I CAPTURE THE LIGHT ENERGY
AND THAT ENERGY IS RECYCLED BACK TO OUR WORLD
AND MULTIPLIED AS IT IS TRANSMITTED FROM THE LIGHT
BOX THROUGH THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE VIEWER.

MY UPBRINGING HAS GRANTED ME A STRONG SPATIAL
SENSE AND THE ABILITY TO SEE AND CAPTURE LINES,
ATMOSPHERE, MOVEMENT AND LIGHT. THE FIRST EIGHTEEN
YEARS OF MY LIFE WERE SPENT ON MY FAMILY'S FARM IN
RURAL SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA. OUR FAMILY HAS
SEEDED AND HARVESTED THAT LAND FOR OVER 125
YEARS. ENDURING THE EXTREME ENVIRONMENT - FROM
ARCTIC COLD WINTERS TO DESERT HOT SUMMERS -
CULTIVATED AN UNDERSTANDING AND CONNECTION TO
THE LAND AND HOW TO WORK WITHIN THE EARTH'S
CYCLES. IN THE WINTER MY FATHER WORKED AT THE
FEDERAL BUILDING AS A BOILER ENGINEER. AS A YOUNG
CHILD I WOULD OFTEN GO TO WORK WITH HIM AND SOON
BECAME FASCINATED BY THE ARRAY OF PIPES, LIGHTS,
GAUGES, DIALS; THE INNER WORKINGS OF THE BUILDING.
THIS SPAWNED AN INTEREST IN MANMADE SYSTEMS AND
ENVIRONMENTS, WHICH TO ME ARE EQUALLY BEAUTIFUL
AND COMPLEX AS NATURE ITSELF.

AFTER DECIDING TO PURSUE PHOTOGRAPHY AS A CAREER
I WAS ACCEPTED INTO THE HIGHLY TECHNICAL PHOTO-
IMAGING PROGRAM AT LANGARA COLLEGE. FOR THE NEXT
TWO YEARS I WAS IMMERSED IN THE SCIENCE OF
PHOTOGRAPHY; FROM GRAPHS AND EQUATIONS, TO
CHEMISTRY AND COMPOSITION.

WITH MY 1972 HASSELBLAD CAMERA, I USE LONG
EXPOSURES OF 10 TO 20 SECONDS TO CREATE MY IMAGES.
THIS GIVES ME TIME TO VISUALIZE THE LIGHT BEING
RECORDED ONTO THE FILM. WITH THE PRINCIPLES OF
PHOTOGRAPHY AND A CONNECTION TO LIGHT NOW DEEPLY
INGRAINED, LIGHT METERS AND OTHER TECHNICAL
EQUIPMENT HAVE BECOME UNNECESSARY TO UNCOVER
BEAUTY.

I OWE MUCH INSPIRATION TO SEVERAL ARTISTS, NOTABLY
EDWARD BURTYNSKY FOR HIS DEDICATION TO THE NOBLE
THEME OF DOCUMENTING MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES
AND THE IMPACT OUR SPECIES HAS HAD ON THE PLANET,
JEFF WALL FOR HIS RELENTLESS PURSUIT OF PRE-
VISUALIZED PERFECTION AND NADAV KANDER WHO'S
WORK SUCCEEDS IN ITS FLUIDITY BETWEEN THE ART AND
COMMERCIAL MARKETS. I ALSO GIVE MUCH CREDIT TO
ROBERT MELNYCHUCK WHO HAS BEEN AN INVALUABLE
MENTOR; HIS GUIDANCE AND UNFAILING SUPPORT FOR MY
WORK IS CHERISHED.



ALL OF THESE ELEMENTS HAVE LENT THEMSELVES TO THE
GROWTH OF MY ARTISTIC VISION. I HOPE THAT OTHERS
CONTINUE TO BE ENCHANTED BY THE BEAUTY IN THINGS
UNSEEN. THE ENGINEERING, THE PLACEMENT OF LIGHTS,
STEEL, AND CONCRETE - SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE, POURED
THEIR EFFORTS INTO THESE CREATIONS AND MY
OBJECTIVE IS TO SHOW THE BEAUTY THAT EXISTS THERE.
TO ME, THEY ARE AS MAGNIFICENT AS A CONSTELLATION OF
STARS.
KRISTOPHER GRUNERT.