Grounded in Virginia Woolf’s seminal essay “A Room of One’s Own,” Kim Cruz’s latest solo exhibition reflects on the necessity of personal, protected spaces that cultivate one’s interior life and creativity.
“All I could do was to offer you an opinion upon one minor point—a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction,” explains renowned author Virginia Woolf in “A Room of One’s Own.” The famous essay made waves during its time of publication in 1929, and even today stands as a significant document on women within the creative landscape, its thesis captured in that statement: that in order for a woman, or really anyone, to tap into their artistic potential, they require the resources and space to do so. This is the concept that lies at the heart of Une Chambre à Soi, the latest solo exhibition by artist Kim Cruz presented by Galerie HOANG BELI in Paris, France.
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What It Means To Have A Room Of One’s Own
Woolf famously argued that a woman needs both financial independence and a room of her own in order to write, and, more broadly, to think without interruption. She even created a hypothetical sister for William Shakespeare to posit that what would’ve barred her from achieving the same renown was not merely a lack of visibility or encouragement, but the absence of tangible resources: those material conditions that are inseparable from the act of creation itself.
Cruz extends this idea into the visual realm through Une Chambre à Soi (both in title and execution), framing creation as an inward act shaped by introspection and exploration, one that unfolds in the privacy and safety of intimate spaces like the sanctuary of the artist’s own bedroom. Free from external judgment or pressure, this space becomes an incubator for uninhibited self-expression and creativity, where Cruz’s inner world is fully able to surface and take form. In this sense, the room isn’t merely physical, but psychological: a threshold between inner life and outward articulation.
Inside Une Chambre À Soi
The exhibition presents a compelling selection of Cruz’s latest paintings and sketches, each layered with symbolism and narrative. Together, they map the internal landscapes artists retreat to in moments of uncertainty and search. While grounded in Cruz’s lived experience, the works invite viewers to reflect on their own paths toward identity, authorship, and autonomy.
A highlight of the exhibition is an installation that transports Cruz’s personal room to the gallery. This reconstructed space—populated with unfinished canvases, crossed-out studies, and personal artifacts—offers an unguarded glimpse into her process. It’s an unabashed admission of the doubt and incompletion that never truly leave an artist’s life; yet, in revealing the tender underbelly of this vulnerability, the display is testament to the courage required to bring something into existence at all .
In a cultural landscape where women’s creative labor has long been minimized, Une Chambre à Soi is a nuanced yet firm assertion of agency. Cruz’s work reclaims space and time, echoing Woolf’s ever-relevant call for women to be afforded the freedom to think and create on their own terms.
“Une Chambre à Soi” runs until February 28, 2026 at Galerie HOANG BELI at 30 rue Chapon 75003 Paris.
Photos courtesy of Galerie HOANG BELI
