Scott Groeniger : Artwork

Click here to see the entire series. (which is still currently in production)

未来历史 Future History#2
44″x88″
Ultrachrome Inkjet print on Canvas

Using textures and abstractions photographed in China, I am examining the present culture and lifestyle of the ancient cradle of Chinese civilization which is Shanxi Province and the current cultural and political cradle which is Beijing. Shanxi Province has a deep and rich cultural history that is thousands of years old. Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi Province, has recently emerged as a major industrial city, fueling the growth of China with much needed energy resources. With the 2008 Olympics upon us, Beijing is emerging as a post-modern major international city in the global arena. Working with photographic images from both of these unique locations in China I am attempting to overlay and combine textures and surfaces which reflect everyday life in China with images gathered from the many important cultural, archeological and historical sites, temples, art museums, and ancient cities around Shanxi Province and Beijing. The entire body of images weave together images of fragments and pieces from the present and the past found in these two extraordinary, historically significant places in China. The entire body of work ultimately suggests a rich cultural past overlaid on a future which is both full of challenges and hope as China transitions into an international super power.

Click here to see the entire series.

Freshly Painted, ink water color, image transfer, charcoal on paper, 2007

These drawings are a series originally made for the exhibition entitled Alternative Urban Futures at Mark’s Garage in Honolulu, Hawaii. These are collaborative drawings made with my wife, artist Kirsten Rae Simonsen dealing with issues surrounding the domestic and suburban mundane.

See the entire series here.

40-60#1: Consumption, Light Jet Print on Aluminum, 2005

The 40-60 series of images are constructed from digital photographs I made while working in Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, China. Taiyuan City is a leader in terms of the world’s worst air quality which is mostly caused by emissions from coal burning electricity plants and steel production facilities. Additionally, Taiyuan has one of the highest ratios of actual to potential desert on earth and as a result, is very quietly running out of water. With a small population of 3.5 million, Taiyuan is on the verge of becoming one of China’s most hushed eco-disasters. Despite this rather grim future tense, Taiyuan continues to build and expand. These images are vector conversions assembled from a multitude of digital images made during my month long stay there. They are images of an urban landscape that suggest a future that may never be realized and reveal a lifestyle that is both impossible and unimaginable.