“I recognize myself in the Greek goddess Persephone, who, fascinated by a beautiful flower (beauty), falls into the trap of Hades (art), and is inevitably forced to dwell in the underworld (unconscious fantasy world).”
Loes Groothuis (1961), born in Drachten, The Netherlands, currently lives and works in Hoorn. Groothuis graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Utrecht (1984) and continued her studies at the Rijksacademy of Visual Arts in Amsterdam (1987-1989). She was able to develop her autonomous work partly thanks to a starting grant and a basic grant from Stichting Fonds voor Beeldende Kunsten, Vormgeving en Bouwkunst. Groothuis made installations for various exhibition venues, such as Museum CODA (Apeldoorn), Bijbels Museum (Maarssen) and Museum Rijswijk (Rijswijk).
Loes Groothuis takes herself as a starting point in her work. She paints, draws and makes objects from papier-mâché because it helps her make some sense of herself and the world. She recognizes herself in the figure of the Greek goddess Persephone, who is forced to stay in the underworld. Groothuis imagines how Persephone encounters all kinds of creatures there and how she interacts with them. These seemingly strange beings are in fact parts of her own personality. It is that which dwells in the unconscious, in the shadows. In this, Groothuis is strongly inspired by the theory of Swiss psychiatrist Jung (1875-1961), who explored the collective unconscious and spiritual symbolism.
Initially, Loes Groothuis saw herself as a painter and draughtsman, but the rectangular and flat plane oppressed her. By cutting the best parts out of her work, an interesting outer shape remains. Loose parts are arranged and rearranged. This creates three-dimensional collages on long banners, which Groothuis hangs in space and from which she then composes a temple to Mary or to Persephone. From there, it is a small step to start making objects out of papier-mâché. Groothuis sees her work as one big work of art, everything belongs together, and it is in fact an ever-expanding fantasy world through which the viewer may wander and marvel.
Exhibitions at Galerie Nasty Alice: Art Island 2025 . A Quest through Paradise 2025 . Contour 2022 .
