BIOGRAPHY

Jonah Jan Groeneboer (born 1978) is a New York-based interdisciplinary transgender artist, writer, and educator. In his visual practice, he generally works in abstraction to address the politics of representation. He developed this strategy to examine the expectation that transgendered people be readily available for visual scrutiny. The work offers a slowed-down experience where minute shifts over time replace binary understandings. He creates aesthetically pared-down forms that respond to or are dependent on the architecture and light conditions of the space, implicating the position of viewership and the environment. Forces such as tension, gravity, light and sound are both structural and material in his work. Groeneboer’s sculptures and diptychs are often described as unphotographable. These materially spare works are used by Groeneboer to question visual perception’s capacity to produce complete comprehension. The impossibility of seeing in totality is an integral concept in his work, providing a counterpoint to minimalism by its insistence on a political position within these contingencies.

Groeneboer’s work has shown at David Zwirner (2018), Boston University Galleries (2017), Poprally at MoMA (2016), Art in General (2016), the Queens Museum (2016), CCS Bard Hessel Museum of Art (2016), MoMA PS1 (2015), Contemporary Art Museum Houston (2015), Platform Centre for Photographic and Digital Arts in Winnipeg (2015), Andrew Edlin Gallery, NY (2013), Shoshawna Wayne Gallery, CA (2010), and Exile, Berlin (2010) among others. Essays and reviews have appeared in the New York Times, the New Yorker, Art 21.com, Mute Magazine, Artforum.com, Temporary Art Review, Art Journal, and in Pink Labour on Golden Streets “Appearing Differently: Abstraction’s Transgender and Queer Capacities.” Residencies include Ox-Bow School of Art, the Fire Island Artist Residency, and Recess. As a writer, Groeneboer has participated on panels and in symposiums at the Whitney Museum of American Art in conjunction with Zoe Leonard’s Survey, and the Beeler Gallery for Arms Ache Avid Aeon: Fierce Pussy Amplified and is a contributing critic for Artforum.com. He currently teaches at The New School.

CV

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2015

Blue Shift, Platform Center for Photographic and Digital Arts, Winnipeg, MB

2013

The Dislocated Center of the Material World, Galveston Art Residency, Galveston, TX

2008

The Measure, Bellwether Gallery, New York, NY

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2018

This is not a Prop, David Zwirner Gallery, New York, NY

2017

A Collection of Slow Events, The Luminary, St. Louis, MO

Oppositions, The Luminary, St. Louis, MO

Occupancy, Boston University, Boston, MA

2016

Ten, PopRally at MoMA, New York, NY

Two Years of Looking, New Art Projects, London, England

Sites Of Exchange: Lavender Diaspora, Clifford Chance, New York, NY

Shifters, Art in General, Brooklyn, NY

The Queens International, The Queens Museum, Queens, NY

Objects are Slow Events, Hessel Museum of Art and CCS Bard Galleries, Bard College, NY

Language of Birds, 80WSE, New York, NY

2015

Greater New York, MoMA PS1, Queens, New York, NY

Island Time, Contemporary Art Museum Houston, Houston, TX

Double Mouth Feedback, Recess Sessions, New York, NY

2014

Shandaken Project Retrospective Exhibition, New York, NY

2012

B-OUT, Andrew Edlin Gallery, New York, NY

Herstory Inventory. 100 Feminist Drawings by 100 Artists, Brooklyn Museum, NY

Herstory Inventory. 100 Feminist Drawings by 100 Artists, Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria

2011

Pretty Vacant, Collective Projects, Brooklyn, NY

Resurrection, Cinders Gallery, Brooklyn, NY

A Certain Ratio, Roots & Culture, Chicago, IL

2010

The Every Other Day, Ideobox Artspace, Miami, FL

Material/Immaterial, Shoshawna Wayne Gallery, Santa Monica, CA

Lost Horizon, EXILE Ausstellungraum, Berlin, Germany

Ox-Bow Centennial Show, Roots and Culture, Chicago, IL

2009

Evading Customs, Brown Gallery, London, England

DiSoRgAnIzEd, Museum 52, New York, NY

Works on Paper, Bellwether, New York, NY

2008

Sonata for Executioner and Various Young Women, Andre Schlechtriem, New York, NY

K48 (Installation), Torpedo Kunstbokhandelen, Oslo, Norway

New Black, Triple Canopy, Starr Space, Brooklyn, NY

O Canada, MC Gallery, New York, NY

K48, John Connelly Presents, New York, NY

If I told you you were beautiful, Oliver Kamm, New York, NY

2007

Beginnings, Why and Wherefore. Curitorial Website Project by Summer Guthery, Lumi Tan and Nicholas Weist.

All is Well That Begins Well and Has No End, 80WSE Gallery, New York, NY

07/08, Bellwether Gallery, New York, NY

Look Away, Cynthia Broan Gallery, New York, NY

Aspects, Forms, and Figures. Bellwether, New York, NY

RESIDENCIES AND AWARDS

2022

Canada Council for the Arts: Explore and Create Grant

2021

Canada Council for the Arts: Explore and Create Grant

2019

Canada Council for the Arts: Explore and Create Grant

2018

Arteles Creative Center, Haukijärvi, Finland

Canada Council for the Arts: Arts Abroad Grant

2016

Art in General's New Commissions Program, Brooklyn, NY

Rema Hort Mann Emerging Artist Grant nominee

Art Matters Grant nominee

2015

Recess Session Program, Recess, New York, NY

2014

FIAR, Fire Island Artist residency, Fire Island, NY

2013

Special Projects Residency, Galveston Artist Residency, Galveston, TX

2008

Artist in Residence, Ox-Bow, Saugatauk, MI

ARTIST TALKS AND PANELS

2020

Carrie Yamaoka and Jonah Groeneboer in Conversation, hosted by Commonwealth and Council, LA. Online.

‘Punk as Flick’ Queer Punk Retrospective panel, Vancouver Queer Film Festival, Vancouver, B.C. Canada. Online.

Alexandro Segade’s The Context Book Launch, hosted by Participant Inc. and Human Resources, LA. Online.

2019

arms ache avid aeon: A Symposium
In conjunction with arms ache avid aeon: Nancy Brooks Brody / Joy Episalla / Zoe Leonard / Carrie Yamaoka: fierce pussy amplified, The Beeler Gallery, Columbus Ohio
Presenters include Jill H. Casid, Jonah Groeneboer, Thomas J. Lax, and Elisabeth Lebovici.

Artist Talk, School of the Visual Arts, New York, NY

2018

Strange Fruit, Panel in conjunction with Zoe Leonard's retrospective Survey. Panelists include Gregg Bordowitz, Jonah Groeneboer, Katherine Hubbard, Fred Moten, Cameron Rowland, and Christian Scheidemann moderated by Elisabeth Sherman, The Whitney Museum, New York, NY

2017

Artist Talk, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY

Artist Talk, Boston University Galleries, Boston, MA

2016

Rethinking Residencies Panel, Triangle Arts, Brooklyn, NY

Artist Talk, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY

2015

Artist Talk, MoMA PS1, Queens, NY

Artist Talk, Platform, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Reading, Adult Contemporary Reading Series, New York, NY

2014

FIAR Artist in Residency Talks, Fire Island Artist residency, Fire Island, NY

Herstory Inventory Panel Paricipant, The New York Public Library, New York, NY

Visiting Artist, Shandaken Artist Residency, Shandaken, NY

2010

4 x 4: Four Contemporary Artists, Four Approaches to Drawing, The Drawing Center, New York, NY

2009

# Class Collecting Panel Participant, Winkleman Gallery, New York, NY

2008

Visiting Artist Lecture, New York University, New York, NY

Artist Talk, Ox-Bow, Saugatauk, MI

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

2022

David J. Getsy and Che Gossett. “A syllabus on transgender and nonbinary methods for art and art history.” Art Journal. (2022, February 4).

Jack Halberstam in Features. (n.d.). “Trans representation after the figure.” Frieze. (April 29, 2022). Online. https://www.frieze.com/article/trans-representation-after-figure

2021

Groeneboer, Jonah. “Leonardo Drew at Galerie Lelong & Co.” Artforum International. (2021, September
30). Online.https://www.artforum.com/picks/leonardo-drew-86850

2019

Groeneboer, Jonah. “Leslie Hewitt at Perrotin | New York.” Artforum International. (2019, October 1). Online.
https://www.artforum.com/picks/leslie-hewitt-80928

2017

O’Rouke, John. “Occupancies Explores the World of Our Bodies.” Boston University Today, 24 February,
2017. Online.http://www.bu.edu/today/2017/occupancies-art-show/

Mcquaid, Cate. “At BU, the Art of Protest.” The Boston Globe, February 16, 2017.

Kitto, Svetlana. “Pulse: On Jonah Groeneboer’s The potential in Waves Colliding.” Girls Like Us, Issue
Nine : Dance and Dancing.

2016

Getsy, David J. “Seeing Commitments: Jonah Groeneboer’s Ethics of Discernment.” Temporary Art
Review, March 8, 2016. Online. https://temporaryartreview.com/seeing-commitments-jonah-groeneboers-ethics-of-discernment/

2015

Schwarzler, Dietmar et al., eds. “Appearing Differently: Abstraction’s Transgender and Queer Capacities,
an interview with David Getsy,” William Simmons, interviewer, in Pink Labour on Golden Streets: When
Form Becomes Politics (Vienna: Schriftenreihe of the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, and Sternberg Press,
Fall 2015).

2014

Getsy, David J. “The Unforeclosed,” Flex catalogue essay.

2013

Getsy, David J. and Jennifer Doyle. “Queer Formalisms: Jennifer Doyle and David Getsy in
Conversation,” Art Journal 72.4 (Winter 2013).

Thacker, Eugene. “Black on Black.” Mute Magazine. MetaMute, 17 July 2013. Online. <http://www.metamute.org/editorial/occultural-studies-column/black-black>.

2012

Schwendener, Martha. “Collaborative and Solo, With a Certain Feminist Bent.” The New York Times,
September 7, 2012.

2010

Fitzgerald, Ali. “Lives and Works in Berlin: Head Shop / Lost Horizon at Exile.” Art 21 Blog. Art 21, 02
September 2010. Online. http://blog.art21.org/2010/09/02/head-shoplost-horizon-at-exile/

2008

Scott, Andrea, “Jonah Groeneboer,” The New Yorker, Feb 4, 2008, p. 12.

Rosenberg, Karen, “Jonah Groeneboer, The Measure” The New York Times, Feb 1, 2008. P. E35.

Willse, Craig, “Craig Willse talks to Jonah Groeneboer,” NY Arts Magazine, Jan 2008, Vol. 13, No. ó,
p.36.

Weist, Nicholas, “A Look at Jonah Groeneboer,” ARTslant, Jan 8, 2008.

2007

Cotter, Holland, “Art in Review: Aspects, Forms and Figures,” The New York Times, March 2, 2007.

J JAN GROENEBOER