What Have I Done?

6 days ago
3 min read

Updated: 2 hours ago

A question five years in the making—and the first featured solo exhibition by founder Paul Kroner at Studio Kroner.

"What Have I Done" Show Postcard — “**What Have I Done?” featuring Paul Kroner, April 16 – May 23, 2026**

Five years ago, I was looking for a larger studio in Cincinnati. The space I found happened to include a small gallery—and before long I found myself wearing two hats: artist and gallerist.

What began as a practical search for studio space gradually evolved into Studio Kroner, an artist-run gallery dedicated to creating opportunities for artists and fostering conversations through contemporary art. Since opening, the gallery has presented 24 exhibitions featuring more than 50 visual artists, as well as poets, writers, and performers, alongside dozens of artist talks and public discussions exploring topics ranging from environmental sustainability to emerging technologies and civic life.

Now, as Studio Kroner marks its five-year anniversary, I’m presenting my first solo exhibition in the space: What Have I Done? , April 16 – May 23, 2026.

“What began as a search for studio space gradually evolved into a community-centered platform for creative exchange.”

From Studio Space to Gallery

Paul Kroner working in his studio — In the studio this winter

Much of the past five years has been shaped by building a platform for other artists. What began as a small artist-run gallery has evolved into a community-centered space for creative exchange—one that has supported exhibitions, performances, and public dialogue while becoming part of Cincinnati’s broader cultural ecosystem.

During that same period, my own studio practice didn’t stop, but it did change. The work continued to find its way into the world through grants, exhibitions, and recognition. Those moments of affirmation mattered, but they didn’t quiet the question at the center of this show.

A Question with More Than One Meaning

What Have I Done? is a question with more than one inflection. It can be read casually—what have you been up to?—or with doubt and self-interrogation: what have I done… and why?

I’ve always made work that resists singular meaning, and this question felt like an honest way to frame the last five years of my life and practice—a period shaped by both conviction and uncertainty.

“To create is to question.’’

This exhibition isn’t a retrospective, but it does move across time. New works appear alongside earlier pieces from my catalog, allowing connections and tensions to surface. Seen together, the works reflect an ongoing interest in ambiguity and accessibility—work that invites entry without insisting on a single interpretation.

Rather than committing to a single style, I’ve become more interested in allowing each idea to determine its own form and execution. What connects the work across different approaches is an underlying continuity: a strong sense of design and composition, an ongoing concern with balance, and an interest in relationships—between forms, between figures, and between inner and outer experience.

Humor and vulnerability often coexist in this space, allowing the work to remain open rather than fixed.

An Open Inquiry

Paul Kroner in his studio suurounded by his artwork

At my core, I am an artist and a maker. For me, to create is to question.

What Have I Done? isn’t meant to be answered. It’s an open inquiry—about making, responsibility, and what it means to build something for others while continuing to listen to your own inner life. For the past five years I’ve learned what it means to balance those roles—continuing my own studio practice while helping create a space where other artists can share their work and ideas.

As Studio Kroner enters its sixth year, this exhibition feels less like a conclusion than a pause: a moment to reflect on what has been built, what has changed, and what still remains unresolved. In other words, a moment to take off the gallerist hat for a while and return fully to the work of being an artist.