TOM GRAND: “Born in 1986 in Neuwied, raised in a very conservative catholic boarding school in Germany, I'm on a path that is anything but straightforward. It's a road, littered with curves, edges, and potholes. Before fully dedicating myself to art, I oscillated between jobs as care worker, social worker, make-up artist, stylist, retailer and zookeeper. People and their stories—these were both my driving force and my nemesis.
But there was more. I moved to Berlin - the city of excesses. I plunged into the darkness, lost myself in the music, the energy, the chaos. It was wild, it was alive, it was real. Nights blended together and the city became a part of me. Also Hamburg. St. Pauli. As a punk on the streets and my apartment on the transvestite strip. Life was raw, unfiltered. The colors, sounds, people—they shaped me, helped me grow, changed my perspective. And they are still a part of me. These cities, their energy, they live in my work. They are part of my inspiration and my sanctuary.
Self-taught. I educated myself in photography, post-production and videography. My works in fashion, beauty and nude photography caught attention. A beginning. But it wasn't entirely fulfilling. It was like sex without climax. Nice, but ultimately frustrating. 2017. The start of a new chapter. I moved to Zurich, where I worked as a make-up artist for YSL.
2019. The nightmare. My apartment burned down.I had to start from scratch.
2021. The slap in the face. The diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder. An explanation of my lifelong feeling of difference. Each of these moments was like a quake that shook my foundation.
All this crap? Yes, it influenced me, shaped me, challenged me, forced me on my artistic path. It nourished my work.
The chaos became fuel, the suffering became color, the frustration became texture. I took what life gave me and used it as inspiration. It is raw, it is real, and it is my way of communicating with the world.
For me art is not just a means of communication, but a necessity for survival. Art became my therapy, my language, my path in life. It is more than a job; it's a journey to myself, a way to explore the world. My works aim to be a window to my experiences and my struggles. I want to reach people, touch them, make them think, offer a journey, a new perspective. Shaped by a background as diverse as life itself. Wild, unconventional, real.
Bande á Part
- Tanzbare Veranstaltung für Außenseiter –
presents
„ T r a n s c e n d i n g P a i n : A Cathartic Encounter“ | 2023
by MILENA JUNGE, TOM GRAND and THOMAS ROHE
„Im Kopf ist das Gefängnis der Gefühle. Die Gefühle sind aus dem Körper gewandert, gefangen im Kopf stauen sie sich dort und schmerzen.“
(Therapiebild von Herrn P. aus Bangladesh, Praktische Schmerzmedizin. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.)
Courtesy of the Artist
Im Rahmen meiner Therapie musste ich mich intensiv mit dem Thema Schmerz auseinandersetzen. Was ist Schmerz eigentlich? Wie wichtig ist Schmerz?
Letztendlich ist Schmerz eines der wichtigsten Gefühle und Impulse, die unsere Psyche und Physis uns senden. Schmerz als positiver Reiz?
Die Performance „TRANSCENDING PAIN: A CATHARTIC ENCOUNTER” ist eine persönliche und zugleich universelle Auseinandersetzung mit dem Schmerz. Als jemand, der sich im Rahmen einer intensiven Therapie mit diesem Gefühl tiefgründig beschäftigt hat, versuche ich, meine eigenen Entdeckungen und Herausforderungen mit dem Publikum zu teilen.
Schmerz, oft missverstanden und vermieden, ist nicht nur ein Signal unseres Körpers, sondern auch ein Spiegel unserer Psyche. Durch meine therapeutische Reise habe ich gelernt, dass sich hinter dem Schmerz oft der weg der Erkenntnis und ein erster Impuls zum Neuanfang offenbart.“
Mit „Transcending Pain: A Cathartic Encounter“ will die Performance zum Nachdenken und zur Diskussion über den Schmerz, seine universelle Natur und das Potenzial für Heilung und Wachstum anregen, das aus der Konfrontation mit ihm und dem Austausch darüber entstehen kann. (Die Performance zielt außerdem darauf ab, schmerzhafte Erfahrungen und Leiden sichtbar und erkenntlich zu machen. Sie sind ganz natürlich Teil der menschlichen Erfahrung und müssen für eine weitere Erfahrung sichtbar gemacht und normalisiert werden). Die immersive Erfahrung lädt die Zuschauer dazu ein, sich mit ihrem eigenen Schmerz auseinanderzusetzen, sich in andere einzufühlen und die transformative Kraft der Katharsis zu erkunden.“
-Tom Grand, | Dramaturgie
MILENA JUNGE worked in various productions as a dancer, choreographers assistant, and choreographer. Since 2021 she is part of THE CURRENT DANCE COLLECTIVE in Hamburg, Germany and has been part of the production "GAGMF" which they performed in 2022 and 2023 at the Sprechwerk theater in Hamburg. She enjoys performing as a freelance dancer at art exhibitions and to share her passion for movement as a teacher as well as a choreographer in different projects. In 2020 as well as 2022/23 she was the choreographer for the Opera Piccola at the State Opera Hamburg.In the summer of 2023 she was the Dance Captain and Dancer of the Opera "Damnation de Faust" at the City theater Erfurt (choreography: Rachele Pedrocchi). In 2023 she finished her Bachelor in Sociology and Sign Languages and enjoys combining her knowledge and curiosity about society with her passion for movement.
Milena Junge_Courtesy of the Artist
Portrait von Tom Grand_Photo by Thomas Rohe
Portrait von Thomas Rohe_Photo by Tom Grand
THOMAS ROHE is a Berlin based freelance dancer and performer. He finished his studies in 2016 and has been working with numerous choreographers and small companies since then. He was part of Siciliano Contemporary Ballet (2017-2018) and KDV Dance Ensemble (2019-2022).
From 2017 to 2018 he worked as a performer for Marina Abramovic's “The Cleaner” exhibition and reperformed her and Ulay's work in Copenhagen and Cologne. Furthermore Thomas is producing his own work, such as “Self Portrait” (2019, Eschloraque Berlin), Dangerous Skin (2022, Pornceptual Berlin) and See Me? (2023, The Village Berlin). He received a funding from the NeuStartKultur in 2023 and was Artist in Residence during the Land Art Moving Biennale in Porto with his partner Tom Grand.
Thomas also works as a yoga teacher and studies sports science and english at the Humboldt University Berlin. He enjoys combining scientific and artistic research to push boundaries and create his own language as an artist.
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