The Gordon Parks Gallery proudly presents
The Shape of Memory
featuring the watercolor paintings of Keren Kroul
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Library and Learning Center
Gordon Parks Gallery
645 East Seventh Street, Saint Paul
"The Shape of Memory" by Keren Kroul, 2022, watercolor. Image courtesy of the artist.
Reception: 5–7:30 p.m., Thursday, April 21, artist’s talk at 7 p.m.
Show dates: April 25 to June 23
Gallery hours: Monday–Thursday, 1–7 p.m.
As the daughter of an Argentine refugee and the grand-daughter of a Romanian Jew of Austrian descent who survived the Holocaust, Kroul’s artwork is concerned with loss and longing. Kroul was born in Israel and grew up in Mexico and Costa Rica. The artist settled in the United States but continues to move back and forth between the cultures and the countries of her loved ones. Now a mother herself, she questions ideas of what makes a home and what constitutes security. The multi-paneled watercolor paintings that cover the gallery’s walls explore these ideas, while ruminating on her family’s complex narratives of genocide.
The power of this installation revolves around the dichotomy of the situation. Although the paintings were inspired by atrocities and angst, the work is opulent and engrossing. Through the activity of making the ephemeral concrete, Kroul has conjured a hauntingly elegant installation. Ultimately, she has created something beautiful that speaks of human resilience.