Paul Grodhues was born in 1996 in Germany and primarily focuses on painting. He recently completed his university exchange from Fine Arts to Textile Design at Escola Massana, Barcelona. While still living in Catalonia, he will graduate from the Hochschule der Bildenden Künste Saar in summer of 2024.
His paintings evolve provisionally in an abstract process of many layers, superimpositions, and fragmented elements later used in a targeted manner. Several components further elaborate into concrete objects or figures, while others stay abstract and undefined. His playful painting style, the meticulous use of colour and the alienation of the figures into the abstract are just some of the indications that lead him to create circus-like scenes that allow him to depict grotesque body shapes.
His textile works are mostly composed with figures filled of cotton wool to generate voluminous bodies.
His conceptual approach proves to be equally fragmental. While exploring antique and book markets, he accumulates an individual reservoir of items, which he expands into narratives. Collected text passages from his favorite novels supplement his works in titling, not always reasonable yet sometimes confusing and mysterious.
Blurring the line between fiction and reality, his work is considered infused by the literary concept of magic realism. Figures remain enigmatic. The combination of absurdity and banality allows the work to portray mystic, humorous, exaggerated and ironic elements.
Acrobats and dancers as well as jugglers and peddlers constitute his main characters, initially inspired by his experiences with Latin American culture. „One Hundred Years of Solitude“ by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and the one there recurring group of jugglers providing entertainment are exemplary for his references. Creating dreamy atmospheres can be derived from the japanese author Haruki Murakami who serves the same genre.
