He studied at The
Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki Finland between 1996–2001 and received a Master of Fine Arts. During 1998 -2000 he was a scholar at The
Royal Institute of Art - Royal University College of Fine Arts in Stockholm Sweden.
Since the late 1990s, he has created large-scale installations consisting of separate techniques or combinations such as: photography, drawings, sculpture, painting, light and sound, dealing with environmental and sociopolitical issues.[1]
In an interview "Art about the beauty in Life", with
Ny Tid (Finland) news magazine Henry Grahn Hermunen said: We live in the middle of a worldwide renaissance with global education through the internet. But for example, people work too much to have time to consume what they have. Medias role is crucial - they can obviously make people shrink. Joseph Pulitzer who founded the Pulitzer Prize and who sometimes acted dubiously himself, said a hundred years ago "that a cynical, mercenary and demagogic press will eventually create a people who are just as shabby as themselves".[2]
Henry Grahn Hermunen has exhibited at art venues including Art Forum Berlin, ARCO Madrid and at The Whitechapel Gallery London, as well showing solo exhibitions at Marina Gisich Gallery and at The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.
Swedish newspaper SvD Svenska Dagbladet wrote: Grahn Hermunen is the first North European Contemporary Artist invited to show his exhibition "Water table in a renaissance garden" in one of the halls of The Hermitage, a Museum considered to be one of the world's foremost Institutions.
[3][4]
Visiting the exhibition Marina Chekmareva at The State Hermitage Museum said in an interview to Alexey Sukhorukov from Russia-Culture National TV. "we have been carrying out these combined exhibition - masterclass projects for three years by the most advanced artists not only from Russia but also from abroad"
[5]
Henry Grahn Hermunen was invited by Head Curator
Larisa Skobkina Golybeva to take part and also curate the North European section to the Celebratory 10th International
Dialogues Biennale in Manege -The Main Exhibition Hall of St. Petersburg, Russia 2011.[6][7]
The artist is represented by Cath Alexandrine
Danneskiold-Samsøe Gallery in Denmark, Marina Gisich Gallery in Russia, and Karin Weber-Galerie Mitte in Germany.
Grahn Hermunen at Saatchi Art Top 10 list as No:2 chosen by
Rebecca Wilson (curator) chief curator and vice president of Art Advisory at
Saatchi Art the world's leading online art gallery, based in Los Angeles
[15][permanent dead link]
FATAL MOMENTS – images of war in Fine Art. Authors: Leena Räty, Anu Talka, Riitta Kormano, Maija Tanninen-Mattila, Jan Kaila, Marja Ruta, Ismo Kajander, Henry Grahn Hermunen. South Karelia Art Museum, Lappeenranta Finland.
ISBN978-951-785-100-8
Avesta Art Biennale/Annuale, several hundred thousand visitors have seen the exhibitions. With all right, the ambitions are high and match the quality, this year the organizers have attracted names like
Roy Andersson, Henry Grahn Hermunen,
Eric Dyer and
Hanna Beling. DT - Cecilia Ekebjär, 3 June 2011 Sweden.
[18]
According to several critics this is maybe the best Avesta Art Biennale/Annuale since the start in 1995. Kerstin Eriksson 14 June 2012 for DD - Dala Demokraten Newspaper, Sweden.
[19]
SR-Swedish Radio Interview, Art does good - Hold that thought exhibition, Kirsi Blomberg 8 Nov 2011
[20][21]
TS-Turun Sanomat-Newspaper, An international selection in
The Ars Nova Museum-Kansainvälinen valikoima Ars Nova -museossa, Jyrki Vuori Turku Finland 18.3.2005.
[22]
^SvD Svenska Dagbladet "Hermunen på Eremitaget" Stockholm 6 June 2007 TT Spektra Sweden
[3]
^Russia-Culture National TV Alexey Sukhorukov visiting the exhibition of Henry Grahn Hermunen "Water table in a renaissance garden"
[4][permanent dead link]
^St. Petersburg Newspaper - SpbVedomosti, Vadim Mikhailov Nr. 160, 29 August 2011, St. Petersburg Russia, in 2011.
[5]
^St. Petersburg Newspaper - SpbVedomosti "Henry Grahn Hermunen´s artwork is one of the best parts of the biennale" Vadim Mikhailov Nr. 160, 29 August 2011, St. Petersburg Russia.
[6]