In his latest book and exhibition on display in the Kaul Gallery at Watermark Art Center from January 13 – March 25, 2023, photographer R. J. Kern again focuses his lens on his adopted home state of Minnesota when he revisits the subjects of his previous book “The Unchosen Ones”. The results are a series of poignant, thought-provoking images featured in a new book and exhibition entitled, “The Unchosen Ones: Portraits of an American Pastoral” (MW Editions, December 2021). An opening reception, gallery walk-through, and book signing with the artist will be held 5-7pm on January 20, 2023.
In addition, on Saturday Jan 21 from 9am- 1pm, Kern will be offering a pinhole photography workshop at the Watermark Art Center for youth ages 10 and up. Participants will learn to build their own pinhole camera and learn to create photographs using analog photography methods. The cost of the workshop is $20 for Watermark members and $25 for non-members. Scholarships are available. Register online.
The original exhibit “The Unchosen Ones” (on display at Watermark in 2020) was based on Kern’s 2016 travels across the state of Minnesota visiting as many county fairs as he could, creating formal portraits of 4-H members and their animals. He intentionally focused on those children who didn’t win. Four years later, Kern revisited these same young people on their home turf, literally on their farms, photographing and interviewing in their pastures and barns to capture the changes and lessons learned over a four-year time span.
Kern asked what they had carried forward from their previous experience. What were their thoughts, their advice, their dreams and their goals for the future? How do they fit in the future of agricultural America?
“Not being chosen for something has a valuable upside,” notes Kern. “As I explored these young people’s doubts, fears, and frustrations, I was heartened to learn of their ability to overcome adversity and rise to a challenge, whether it was self-imposed or one that life threw at them.”
In “The Unchosen Ones: Portraits of an American Pastoral” the formal qualities of Kern’s lighting and setting capture his young subjects’ dignity and wisdom,
revealing self-directed dedication in some, and in others the pressures of traditions imposed upon them. The result are images that not only tap into the mindset of America’s agricultural youth, but also depict a way of life fast disappearing in modern America, the small family farm.
R. J. Kern is an American artist whose work explores ideas of home, ancestry, and the sense of place. His photography documents the interaction of people, animals, and cultural landscapes. His work has been exhibited in a number of notable exhibitions, including the Museum of Modern Art (Tbilisi, Georgia), the National Portrait Gallery (London, UK), and the Yixian International Photography Festival (Anhui, China).
In addition to numerous awards and exhibitions, Kern’s work has been featured by National Geographic, the BBC, PBS, PDN, and the Royal Photographic Society Journal.
