CONTEMPORARY ART STOCKROOM Michael Gromm

Current Exhibitions

SPRING SALON - Online Exhibition

we're out of jam, 2020

Michael Gromm’s relationship to his medium speaks of an open two-way process of making and unmaking, of the physical actions of painting and the emotional impacts of looking. These are tremendously flamboyant images, joyful and brash in their exuberance. Paired with the somewhat allegorical, sometimes nonsensical titles he bestows upon each one, they also speak of the absurd and superfluous acts, decisions and spontaneities that drive much of our human endeavour.

Stray Dogs, 2018 (left) and Vibrations deep in the earth will make you get out of bed at 6am, 2019 (right)

Gromm’s large fluid paintings seek to suspend the viewer in a state of preternatural ‘nowness’ creating moments of visual and mental spaciousness, capable of encouraging creativity, reflection and calm within an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world.

I have an innate fascination with what is not known, and enjoy those moments when my eyes perceive things incorrectly. Those moments, usually out of the corner of my eye, when a few shapes or movements blend together to trigger a response from my consciousness. My works delve into the unknown and form unplanned, unending puzzles; a game of charades for both me and the viewer. However, among the puzzles there exists an overarching awareness that sets the direction of my works, and strikes a fundamental balance between letting the paint do as it wants, and making it do as it is told.
Artist Statement - Michael Gromm

m.m03 (left), m.m02 (right), 2019

Over the last decade, Michael Gromm has been refining his painterly vision, creating images featuring expressive swirls of colour anchored by figurative elements executed with illustrational accuracy. In the artist statement accompanying an earlier exhibition, Gromm acknowledged that he enjoys ‘those moments when my eyes perceive things incorrectly … when a few shapes or movements blend together to trigger a response from my consciousness.’ It is useful to remember that when encountering unexpected associations between different objects or images, the human eye seeks association whilst the brain seeks comprehension. Just because one reacts to the other and comes up with an interpretation doesn’t necessarily mean it’s all now a closed loop. The contradiction of their association is enough to generate each viewer’s own unique explanation, one filtered through gut reaction, a person’s previous experience of art, which magazine has been recently read, which overseas journey completed…. a myriad of possible association, none more correct than the other. Through this prism of (mis)understanding, Gromm’s become works which oscillate with meaning when given half a chance.
Extract from essay by Andrew Gaynor 2019

Random credit from a bank in New York 2019 (top left)
Rent hike island hop (no pool) 2019 (bottom centre)

Michael Gromm completed his Bachelor of Fine Art degree in 2002 at the Univeristy of Ballarat. He has been a finalist in The Geelong Contemporary Art Prize (2016), The Scope Galleries Art Prize (2012), The Metro Gallery Art Prize (2010), The Fletcher Jones Contemporary Art Prize (2008) and was announced the winner of the David Pratt Drawing Award (2001). In 2015 Gromm was selected to exhibit in FLG’s Exploration Exhibition for emerging and unsigned artists. He was awarded the FLG Emerging Artist Award in 2015 and held his first solo exhibition with FLG in 2016. His works are held in collections in Singapore, USA and across Australia.

CATALOGUE ESSAYS:

Idle-Wild, by Andrew Gaynor 2019
Disco End Ever, by Phe Luxford 2016
Pause, by Melanie Caple 2017

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They wanted six hundred for the two weeks 2018
oil and acrylic on canvas
183cm x 152cm in artist's studio
$8,000 AUD

Speared young tigers and single serve day trips 2018
oil and acrylic on canvas
183cm x 152cm
$8,000 AUD

Vibrations deep in the earth will make you get out of bed at 6am 2019
oil & acrylic on canvas
189cm x 159cm
$8,000 AUD

Stray Dogs 2018
oil & acrylic on canvas
115cm x 90cm
$3,000 AUD

Advertising took all the fun out of it 2018
oil & acrylic on canvas
139cm x 118cm
$4,500 AUD

Pink Helmet 2019
oil and acrylic on canvas
45cm x 45cm
$850 AUD

Random credit from a bank in New York 2019
oil & acrylic on canvas
76cm x 66cm
$1,600 AUD

Rent hike island hop (no pool) 2019
oil & acrylic on canvas
76cm x 66cm
$1,600 AUD

Yellow car deep underwater 2020
acrylic, pencil & collage on 300gsm paper
76cm x 57cm , unframed
$1,400 AUD

Californian presentation house 2020
acrylic, pencil & collage on 300gsm paper
76cm x 57cm , unframed
$1,400 AUD

Soothing LED time 2020
acrylic, pencil & collage on 300gsm paper
76cm x 57cm , unframed
$1,400 AUD

Waiting For The Next Top Gun Movie 2020
acrylic, pencil & collage on 300gsm paper
76cm x 57cm , unframed
$1,400 AUD

Bold Bird came to say hello 2020
acrylic, pencil & collage on 300gsm paper
41cm x 29cm , unframed
$550 AUD

Car Door Dint 2020
acrylic, pencil & collage on 300gsm paper
41cm x 29cm , unframed
$550 AUD

Sunday, Munday Twosday 2020
watercolour, gouache, pencil & collage on 300gsm paper
41cm x 29cm , unframed
$550 AUD

Can def score weed up the road 2020
acrylic, watercolour and pencil on 600gsm paper
76cm x 57cm unframed, in artist's studio
$1,400 AUD

conversation in the kitchen cake 2020
acrylic, watercolour, gouache and pencil on 300gsm paper
76cm x 57cm unframed, in artist's studio
$1,400 AUD

He good egg, just off the wall 2020
acrylic, watercolour and pencl on 300gsm paper
76cm x 57cm unframed, in artist's studio
$1,400 AUD

it's called industrial chic 2020
acrylic, watercolour and pencil on 300gsm paper
76cm x 57cm unframed, in artist's studio
$1,400 AUD

Sorry, I had night time grumpy 2020
acrylic, watercolour and pencil on 300gsm paper
76cm x 57cm unframed, in artist's studio
$1,400 AUD

Stand still so I can look at you 2020
acrylic, watercolour and pencil on 300gsm paper
76cm x 57cm unframed, in artist's studio
$1,400 AUD

Carnival Carnivore 2020
acrylic, watercolour and pencil on 600gsm paper
76cm x 57cm unframed, in artist's studio
$1,400 AUD

Do I look like a scientist? 2020
acrylic, watercolour and pencil on 600gsm paper
76cm x 57cm unframed, in artist's studio
$1,400 AUD

Afternoon laundromat sit 2020
acrylic, watercolour and pencil on 600gsm paper
76cm x 57cm unframed, in artist's studio
$1,400 AUD

Deep love for parking lots 2018
oil & acrylic on canvas
182cm x 152cm In artist's studio
$7,500 AUD

m.m03 2019
oil and acrylic on canvas
145cm x 45cm
$2,000 AUD