Kathryne Grimm

Bio
KATHRYNE GRIMM is an award-winning and nationally exhibited fine art conceptual figurative photographer and queer trans disability activist whose artwork focuses on using femme and non-binary bodies to initiate a dialogue about issues facing the disabled. They were the recent subject of the short documentary “Kathryne: Uncensored” where they discussed accessibility in the arts, and their artwork has been published in various literary journals and art magazines. Kathryne’s activist work has led to numerous lectures and presentations on disability rights and issues facing the disability community, including ableism in media narratives and representation. They currently sit on the board of the Kansas Disability Caucus and on the Expressions curatorial and organizing committee through The Whole Person as their Disabled Artist Representative. Kathryne’s current activism and art focus is breaking down the barriers of how disabled bodies are viewed in contemporary art and in society, bringing awareness to the lack of accessibility within the Kansas City arts scene, and discussing the intersection of Domestic Violence, Disability, and Queerness. They currently reside in Kansas City in a very dark and edwardian-inspired apartment with their elementary school aged child and an apocalypse-ready sized stash of green tea.

Statement
My photography is dramatic, sorrowful, and sometimes macabre, and I utilize their highly aesthetic nature to explore and initiate a dialogue about the issues myself and others within the disability community face. All of my works are linked together with a common narrative of pain and abandonment, represented through the solitary figure in each piece. Each element in my pieces is deliberate and highly conceptualized. Every aspect carries symbolism, from the color of the background, to the amount of skin exposed, to the way the fingers are posed. My pieces are a macabre yet aesthetically beautiful marriage pulling from my inspirations from fairy tales, mythology, and my experiences as a non-binary trans disabled person.
My works echo of the past, while being timeless in nature, to mirror the existence of the disabled. We have always been present, but us and our stories have been ignored, pushed aside, abandoned, and forgotten.
My intention is to break down the barriers of how disabled bodies and disabled persons are viewed in contemporary art and in society, and subvert societal expectations of how disability is expected to visually present.

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Selected Exhibitions

2020 – Group Salon, Unlucky Rabbit Art Studio, Kansas City, MO

2019 – Ghoul and Guile – Group Invitational Exhibition, The Smalter Gallery, Kansas City, MO
2019 – NURTURE | NATURE – Two Person Exhibition, Collect Level, Kansas City, MO
2019 – Cardiology – Group Salon, Heidmann Art Salon, Kansas City, MO
2019 – Colla Voce – Group Exhibition, Carter Art Center Gallery, Kansas City, MO
2018 – Momento Morbus – Solo Show, Red Light Gallery, Atchison, KS
2018 – Artists Undeterred – Group Exhibition, The Pride Center, Staten Island, NY
2018 – Exhibition: Illuminating the Queer Experience – Group Exhibition, InterUrban ArtHouse, Overland Park, KS
2018 – The Human Form – Group Exhibition, The Hilliard Gallery, Kansas City, MO
2017 – Group Exhibition, Blue Box Gallery, Kansas City, MO2017 – Group Exhibition, The Nelson-Atkins Museum, Kansas City, MO
2017 – Group Exhibition, The Thornhill Gallery, Kansas City, MO
(Currently on exhibit) 2017 – Group Exhibition, Blue Box Gallery, Kansas City, MO
2017 – Expressions – Group Exhibition, KCYA, Kansas City, MO
​2016 – Expressions – Group Exhibition, The Arts Asylum, Kansas City, MO
2016 – Defacing the Gag – Solo Show, Grimm and Barratt Art Gallery, Kansas City, MO
​2016 – Group Show, Serrated Edge Gallery, Kansas City, MO
2015 – Fringe Festival Featured Artist, Union Station, Kansas City, MO
2015 – FringePrize for Fringe Festival, Union Station, Kansas City, MO
2015 – Blue Art, Vulcan Forge, Kansas City, MO
2015 – The Mannequin Project, The Living Room Theater, Kansas City, MO
2014 – FringePrize for Fringe Festival, Union Station, Kansas City, MO
2006 – Group Exhibition, Borders Gallery, Selma, TX
2005 – Angels, Silver Center, Seguin, TX
2003 – Group Exhibition, Firehouse Gallery, Kamuela, HI
2002 – Group Exhibition, Firehouse Gallery, Kamuela, HII

Publications

2020 – Kansas City Voices, Whispering Prairie Press, Featured Artist, Volume 15

2018 – East Eight Art Magazine, “Pomegranate”, Featured Artist

2017 – Kansas City Voices, Whispering Prairie Press, Featured Artist, Volume 14​
2017 – Desolate Country, 39 West Press, Featured Poet
2016 – Prompts! A Spontaneous Anthology, 39 West Press, Featured Artist and Poet
2015 – Blue Monday Review, Cover art and Featured Artist, Volume 2, Number 2
2012 – b’ak’tun magazine, Featured Artist and Poet, Volume 1, Issue 1
2012 – Bicycle Literary Magazine, Featured Poet, Volume 1, Issue 1

Awards and Honors
2015 – Second Place, Iron Artist Competition, KC Fringe Festival, Kansas City, MO
2014 – First Place, Iron Artist Competition, KC Fringe Festival, Kansas City, MO
2003 – First Place, Hawaii Juried Art Show, Kamuela, HI
2002 – First Place, Hawaii Juried Art Show, Kamuela, HI
2000 – First Place, Sul Ross State University, Alpine, TX