For Los Angeles-based artist sea Krob, periods of grief and uncertainty have become far too common.
Krob and their family have battled polycystic kidney disease for years, a chronic disorder that can dramatically enlarge the kidneys and damage the brain’s blood vessels. Krob’s father died in 2018 after not receiving a kidney transplant for over 11 years.
“My experiences lead me to being very, very passionate about things,” Krob said. “When I dive in, I dive in all the way.”
Through deep introspection of their own life and exploration of larger societal issues, Krob has created boundary-pushing pieces that display the intersection between art and social equity.
Krob began taking courses at community colleges in Arizona during the rise of digital photography in the 2010s. Despite the large-scale embrace of this newer technology by other photographers, they fell in love with working in darkrooms.
“I find it very magical and healing,” Krob said.
Krob moved to Southern California in 2013 to continue their degree at Chaffey College, where they began to practice large-format photography and shifted from commercial work to fine arts photography. They finished their undergraduate degree at the University of California, Los Angeles and began graduate school at CSULB last fall.
Throughout their photography career, they have examined the intersection between societal issues and internal conflicts.
“Back at Chaffey, I was thinking about when people are truly themselves,” Krob said. “Looking back at it, it was a way for me to process gender identity and stuff that I hadn’t really thought of.”
Krob came out as transgender and nonbinary two years ago. The artist said that their identity plays a vital role in the themes of their art and the methods of creating it.
“Even if it isn’t blatantly obvious in my work, it is pretty much how I process and make things,” Krob said. “I always like more shades of gray and more nuance. I don’t like a simple answer, I don’t like being boxed in.”
Krob said that there are still moments when they experience imposter syndrome about their identity.
“I still feel very new to the LGBTQ community,” Krob said. “People come out later in life and that’s totally valid, but I’m still trying to learn the ropes.”
The artist is now using their work as a form of advocacy, hoping to foster conversations about underrepresented issues and marginalized communities. They are in the process of photographing kidney disease awareness walks across California.
Kidney disease is often called the “silent killer” because symptoms appear slowly, causing patients to often go untreated for years.
“Other students have come forward to say their parent has end-stage renal failure, is on dialysis or has unfortunately died from kidney failure,” Krob said.
Krob’s other projects relate to their long, frequent commutes to campus, which highlight the underfunded and often inaccessible public transit system in Los Angeles.
The artist relies on public transportation to attend their courses in the photography graduate program at CSULB, commuting back and forth about 20 hours a week.
“I’ve been taking a lot of double exposures of my public transit commute to and from school,” Krob said. “I’m thinking about access, equitability, the lack of public restrooms on public transit and how that impacts renal health in the body.”
In the future, Krob would like to organize a fundraiser that advocates for shorter wait times to receive renal healthcare. They envision themselves continuing school and establishing a career in Los Angeles, possibly teaching art history at a public institution or working at a community darkroom.
“I’m a grad student and I’m still figuring it out,” Krob said. “There’s no wrong way to be a nonbinary artist, so, I’ll continue with the right way that fits me.”