Cameraless Gestures (Pop-Up Exhibition at Veronique Wantz Gallery)
I’m excited to share my friend and creative mentor, Frank Lopez, will present Cameraless Gestures, a ONE-NIGHT pop-up exhibition of photography at the Veronique Wantz Gallery in Minneapolis
WHO: Frank Lopez and R. J. Kern and guests
WHAT: Rooted in cameraless image-making, the works in this one-night exhibition explore gesture, chemistry, time, and material transformation.
WHEN: July 23, 2026. A reception with the artists runs 4 - 7 p.m.
WHY: Frank and I share a creative connection through the chemigram process, which he taught me as part of his studio practice. I will present selections from the recent series Magnetic: Fields, while Frank will also share work from the ongoing project, Emanations.
Together, the exhibition offers a focused look at two distinct but interconnected approaches to photographic abstraction and experimentation.
HOW: Free and open to the public at Veronique Wantz Gallery, located at 901 N 5th St, Minneapolis, MN 55401.
The exhibition highlights the use of the silver gelatin chromo / chemigram process, with approximately 20 works on view and offered for sale.
The following conversation was recorded on July 5, 2026 in advance of Cameraless Gestures, a one-night exhibition bringing together the cameraless photographic work of Frank Lopez and mine. Although both of us work without a camera, we arrive there by different paths: one rooted in portraiture and place, the other in decades of darkroom experimentation. What follows is a conversation about process, trust, and what happens when photographers let go of control.
