The Work of Ria Groenhof 1985–2025

What power does a line have? In the work of Dutch artist Ria Groenhof, it plays a central role: as a design element, as a connection in space, as a carrier of form and movement.

In the following works, Groenhof revisits themes she has already explored, but places the line above the surface. Trinity (1989) is a fragile-looking stainless steel structure that alludes to the close intertwining of past, present, and future. By dispensing with color, the surfaces appear to move due to refractions of light, emphasizing the fragility of the steel rods, which are positioned at acute angles to one another. Groenhof transfers elements from her paintings into the sculpture Trinity: in her works on canvas, she combines flat components in primary colors with fine lines that evoke architectural structures. They serve as symbols for constructs of time and memory. In the sculpture, they become a central design element just a few years after she began her artistic career.

The work De Wachters (The Guards) (2000) was also created for the municipality of Heerenveen at the turn of the millennium. Three identical, 6.50 m high sculptures rest on a grassy peninsula and tower over their surroundings like lighthouses. They guard the boundary between land and water, where human habitation ends and nature begins. The sculptures consist of acute-angled surfaces, and the primacy of line in Groenhof's work is pushed into the background. The artist emphasizes the location-specific character of the sculpture group and its state between artificiality and naturalness through her expanded choice of materials: she uses Corten steel, which develops a deliberate layer of rust on its surface. This layer creates a unique look and highlights the creative influence of the environment on the sculpture.

In further works from the 2000s, Groenhof continues her combination of line and surface and also reintroduces primary colors into her work. De Hege Fonnen (2006), also on public display in Lemmer, features thin upright steel rods symbolizing the high pastures of the landscape. Hanging inside them are three circular surfaces, the visually central elements of the sculpture. On them are a clef, a ball, and an abstract figure, representing music, sports, and dance. Each disc is supported by five rods, which also represent the five senses with which humans perceive culture and nature. Groenhof's work Wall Relief (2004) combines steel surfaces in primary colors with reflective stainless steel surfaces. The latter are based on the shapes of crescent moons and stars. The round yellow surface, surrounded by a halo of light, represents the sun, while the acute-angled red and blue surfaces symbolize the spectrum of human color perception. This combination of colors with stainless steel surfaces, alternatively with black surfaces, has since set the tone for Groenhof's work. It finds its counterpart in the artist's paintings, which are closely related to Wall Relief and unfold primarily on a white background that emphasizes the depth effect.

Groenhof's transition to land art is exceptional in this form, but the work is closely related to the general development of her art, in which the influence of nature has become increasingly important. In her most recent works, nature becomes a co-creator: Windroos (Compass Rose) (2020) varies Groenhof's formal and color language in new ways. In reference to the widespread everyday object, she combines a compass rose with a whirlwind: the red diamond indicates the direction of the wind. An irrigation device is integrated into the base of Windroos. The sculpture thus not only represents the close connection between art and nature, but also fulfills practical functions. The work Colors of the Wind (2024) presents an abstract design of whirlwinds. Here, three circular surfaces in red, yellow, and blue, each held by a black frame, are aligned by the wind. The artist transfers function into kinetic art.

The close connection between design and art, combined with a strong reference to nature, is particularly evident in Groenhof's garden furniture. It is characterized by colorful surfaces with sharp angles, sometimes combined with lines created by stainless steel rods. These objects, sculptural benches, are also handcrafted by the artist herself and are installed in public gardens and parks. Blue Wave (2021), for example, consists of black steel and a blue wooden seat. The meditative power of flowing water, which paradoxically can create moments of inner peace in people through its movement, is transferred to a unique seating arrangement. The composition is a dialogue between movement and stillness.

Yellow Star (2021), on the other hand, draws on the contemplative power of trees and the protection they offer: the sculptural object is designed like a four-pointed star with the tree at its center. As a life-giving symbol, the tree is integrated into the art object, which reflects the light necessary for plants and the growth associated with it through its form and color. The seats of the four benches near the trunk have a slight incline – in addition to their symbolic function, they are useful for people of different heights. Yellow Star is based on an early concept from 1995, which only found its final form more than 25 years later in the course of the general development of Groenhof's artistic work.

Over four decades, the artist's work has shown an intense engagement with geometric abstraction and its spatial effect, with her formal language becoming increasingly open: from strictly prismatic compositions to installation works with references to nature and functionality. However, precise order always remains the starting point for her designs. Groenhof uses minimal means to explore complex relationships between form, space, and perception. She succeeds in combining abstract geometry with an immediate, sensual experience.