A Rainy Day with Photos in Groningen

Somewhere in The Netherlands

Trading Streets for Galleries

We, two old primary school friends, reunited for our annual day of exploration. This year, we met at the train station cafe in Groningen, shared a warm coffee, and then headed to the city center. The cold, rainy weather led us to change our city walk for indoor visits to the city’s museums and libraries.

Joram Krol, Portraits of the Soul

Our first stop was the Groninger Museum, featuring two powerful photography exhibitions by Joram Krol (Nijmegen 1979) and the late Erwin Olaf. Interestingly, both artists held their first solo exhibitions at this museum. We began with Joram Krol’s gallery, Can I Be Me? Krol is a local celebrity in Groningen, a self-taught artist whose work is deeply influenced by the legendary Anton Corbijn. His portraits are raw, direct, confrontational captures of people he meets on the streets. His ability to win the trust of subjects, who are not used to being photographed, made every photo feel like a window into a soul.

Erwin Olaf, Chasing Immortality

Next, we visited Erwin Olaf’s hall. An information board quote set the tone: “When I’m dead, I think it would be a shame if nobody tries to see if I could be one of the immortals. But if that’s not possible, no hard feelings.” Olaf is closely tied to this museum through his Chessmen series, which made him internationally famous. His 25-year survey, Silver, opened here in 2003, and in 2016, he created photographs inspired by Auguste Rodin for the museum.

Chas Gerretsen, The Man Behind the Icons

At the Forum, we explored another exhibition by Chas Gerretsen. Though his name was unfamiliar, his images were not. Born in Groningen as Charles Arthur, he left home young and became the only Dutch photographer to win the Robert Capa Gold Medal. His career is marked by being in the right place at the right time: Vietnam, Cambodia, and Santiago during the 1973 Chilean coup, where he captured the iconic portrait of General Pinochet. Despite this, Gerretsen remained anonymous for decades, rarely credited for his famous work.

A Warm Ending to a Gray Day

After a day filled with these visual stories, we found a cozy restaurant to enjoy some great food and drinks before saying goodbye. Despite the rain, we enjoyed our day together and added another sweet memory to our yearly collection!

Date

Thursday, February 29, 2024

Museum

Groninger Museum

Museum

Forum Groningen

Weather

7 °C,
moderate breeze