Exhibitions

Divine Animals at Veronique Wantz Gallery

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I’m excited to share work at the debut photography exhibition at Veronique Wantz Gallery (Minneapolis, MN), running March 8 - April 13, 2024. I’ll present highlights in a mini-retrospective format since 2012 with projects including: Divine Animals: The Bovidae; The Unchosen Ones; The Best of the Best; and my newest series, The Last Fair.

OPENING RECEPTION Friday, March 8th, 4-7PM, free and open to the public.

Artist Talk (CWU Museum of Culture & Environment)

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On Thursday Jan. 25 at 4:00 pm PT, I will offer an artist talk hosted by CWU Museum of Culture & Environment (MCE) discussing the process of composing the portraits for the exhibition of photography, The Unchosen Ones: Portraits of an American Pastoral, and what we can learn by paying attention to the shifting landscapes of rural life. I promise a few photo bombs by chickens and barn cats.

I'll appear virtually but the talk will be held virtually and in-person. To attend, in person, come to room 104 in Dean Hall on the CWU campus (1200 Wildcat Way) and to attend virtually, register HERE >>

For questions, email museum@cwu.edu or call (509) 963-2313. The MCE is open Wednesday – Saturday from 10:00am - 4:00 PM.

Mable, Pastoral Study, 2020 from the series The Unchosen Ones.

Mable and Stella, Isanti County, Minnesota, 2020 from the series The Unchosen Ones.

Mable and Stella, Isanti County Fair, Minnesota, 2016 from the series The Unchosen Ones.

Masur Museum of Art {solo exhibition}

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Juried exhibitions— while expensive and time-consuming— can pay off. I just never thought it would lead to a paid solo exhibition.

Here’s that story: in 2019, prints from The Unchosen Ones series were exhibited as part of the 56th Annual Juried Competition Exhibition at the Masur Museum of Art, juried by Catherine Futter (Director of Curatorial Affairs, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art), where I received Honorable Mention. I kept in touch, starting with a little thank you note (handwritten). Fast forward a few months, I offered to donate a print for their collection that was published in National Geographic (Kol and Annabelle). The print was unanimously approved by both the collections committee and Board of Trustees and became part of their permanent collection.

Four years later— as a direct outcome of conversations which began with a juried exhibition— The Unchosen Ones touring exhibition hangs on the same walls.

Artists: never underestimate the power of your projects and how patience and persistence can make dreams come true!

The exhibition at the Masur Museum of Art in Monroe, LA runs November 1- December 22, 2023, features twenty 43 x 53 inch archival inkjet prints with handmade artist frames. Thank you to the support of the Museum staff Lindsay McLean, Evelyn Stewart, and Stefan Nodarse, Curator of Collections and Exhibitions. It’s been a joy working with you all! 

Virtual Artist Talk by R. J. Kern at the Masur Museum of Art, November 16, 2023.

The Unchosen Ones exhibition at the Masur Museum of Art in Monroe, LA runs November 1- December 22, 2023, features twenty 43 x 53 inch archival inkjet prints with handmade artist frames. Image courtesy Stefan Nodarse.

The Unchosen Ones exhibition at the Masur Museum of Art in Lafayette, LA runs November 1- December 22, 2023, features twenty 43 x 53 inch archival inkjet prints with handmade artist frames. Image courtesy Stefan Nodarse.

Blue Ribbon at the Minnesota State Fair!

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This week starts the “Great Minnesota Get Together” aka the Minnesota State Fair, a special place in my heart since my wife brought me there on a date in 2011. We enjoyed the animal and people watching and loved the creative activities building and fine arts exhibition. A few years ago we entered a friendly competition of entering the events. She won a blue ribbon for her pickles. And this year, I won mine.

R. J. Kern and Juror Kristine Heykants at the 112th Fine Arts Exhibition at the 2023 Minnesota State Fair with the First Place photograph.

I’m proud to share this blue ribbon (first place) photograph, Live Action Role Players, Blue Earth County Fair, Minnesota, 2022, at the 112th Fine Arts Exhibition at the 2023 Minnesota State Fair— the largest art exhibition in the state. Kristine Heykants, the photography juror, writes in her criteria statement:

I am looking for images that give witness to the breadth and depth of human experience in a way that is unexpected, with the desire to assemble a collection of images that represents photographic practice in Minnesota in 2023 in a holistic and inclusive way. Within the context of the State Fair where artists are limited to one entry, there is the added challenge of creating a statement or narrative in one image. I am excited to see pictures that make me want to learn more about the subject and the photographer.

Digital catalog HERE >>

Special thanks to juror Kristine Heykants, the participants who offered trust in front of my camera, The Photo Touch for printing, Jim Ross framing, Penn Barnes for transportation, Matt Steaffens for lighting assistance, Zach Rinehart’s leadership at the Blue Earth County Fair, and the support of my family— all essential ingredients required to create this photograph:

Live Action Role Players, Blue Earth County Fair, Minnesota, 2022, archival pigment print, 31 x 41 inches framed, Edition 2/7 SOLD.

About the series:

The Last Fair showcases summer animal contests, aspiring to enhance awareness in the changing face of American pastoral life. “If this was the last year of your county fair, what would you miss most?” I asked this question at over a dozen fairs, in response to the Ramsey County Fair (Minnesota, USA) remaining canceled since 2019. “The kids with their animals,” I heard. I considered how joy isn't fully appreciated until gone. Small agrarian communities in the U.S. are changing, and the county fair isn’t necessarily the highlight of a kid’s summer the way it used to be. The 360-acre family farm has grown to over 10,000 acres, which has had a huge impact on rural America. County fairs are among the casualties. Although there is evidence that this way of life is disappearing as kids leave the farm, the crisis of climate change and a concern for both sustainability and stewardship of the land point to a path for survival for agricultural practices and traditions. Using a large format camera with studio lighting, I follow a photo documentary approach, not allowing myself to composite images, remove elements, or rely on artificial intelligence (AI). Orchestrating a photograph requires months of planning— and a hefty dose of patience and a sense of humor.

OSU Museum of Art exhibition

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The Unchosen Ones, a solo exhibition at Oklahoma State University Museum of Art in Stillwater, OK, runs April 18- June 24, 2023 and features 20 43 x 53 inch archival inkjet prints and eight 11 x 14 inch silver gelatin prints from wet plate collodion tintypes. Images courtesy of Oklahoma State University Museum of Art. Photos by Phil Shockley.

Watermark Art Center (Solo Exhibition)

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The Unchosen Ones touring exhibition has made its first stop in the land of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox: Bemidji, Minnesota. The show will be up at the Watermark Art Center through March 25, 2023. Special thanks to the staff at the Watermark and Executive Director Lori Forshee-Donnay for their amazing support!

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota, through a grant from the Region 2 Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

Paris Photo Pop-Up Show & Sale

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Five years ago I published my first book with German publisher, Kehrer Verlag. Since, I’ve had a box of match prints (8x12 inches) used for proofing purposes in the printing process and will be releasing them to celebrate five-years!

The archival pigment prints are all pristine condition, signed on verso. I will release this special series of prints for Paris Photo 2022, running Nov 8 - 12, 2022.

If you are in Paris, my friends Jamie Johnson and Dotan Saguy and I will be hosting a party. You are welcome, please RSVP. They will have prints from their Kehrer Verlag book, too!

As a follower of my work, I am pleased to offer special access, first come first served. They will go fast.

A selection of prints from my series Divine Animals: The Bovidae, Out to Pasture, and The Unchosen Ones will be released for Paris Photo 2022.

Eyes on Main Street - 2022

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One of my photographs will be exhibited as part of the Eyes on Main Street (8th Edition), curated by Ghadah Alrawi, Jérôme De Perlinghi, and Carol Johnson, Wilson, NC (October 21, 2022 - March 25, 2023). Special thank you to the curators for inviting me to be apart of this really cool concept of photography exhibitions. I love bringing art to the people. For 150 days, 100 photographs will be displayed on 100 storefront windows, walls and buildings, spanning nine city blocks in Wilson, NC.

Project website >>

Ava, Pastoral Study, 2020 by R. J. Kern, exhibited Eyes on Main Street (8th Edition), curated by Ghadah Alrawi, Jérôme De Perlinghi, and Carol Johnson, Wilson, NC (October 21, 2022 - March 25, 2023).

Homage to Nadar

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Moments after this photograph was created on July 16, 2022, Michael Tauer (right) was declared Supreme Champion Showman at the 2022 Redwood County Fair in Minnesota. This was the last year of 4-H showing for the family, a bittersweet experience, according to Michael’s mother, Kris. Left to right: Morgan, Jeff, Kris and Michael Tauer.

The photograph was published recently in the exhibition, Time, juried by Michael Behlen, and featured in Analog Forever magazine (online). View the works here >>

This tintype photograph serves as homage to Nadar (Adrien Tournachon, French, 1825 - 1903) who photographed prizewinning animals at the agricultural competitions in the late 1850s, early 1860s. The photographs serve both artists and breeders, as they document fine specimens of horses, cattle, etc.

"The Tauer Family, Redwood County Fair, July 16, 2022" by R. J. Kern. Unique tintype, 8 x 10 inches, 2022.

Summer Art at Burnet Art

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“Summer is a great time to visit art museums, which offer the refreshing rinse of swimming pools - only instead of cool water, you immerse yourself in art,” writes Jerry Saltz.

Dip your toes into the art pool back room at Burnet Fine Art and you’ll find to two special photographs from 'The Unchosen Ones' series special— exhibition prints from juried shows. Exhibitions and curation form the backbone of photographic art. These framed photographs have earned frequent flier miles:

"Anna and Helen, Blue Earth County Fair, 2016" (right), exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery (London, UK), below.

Exhibition print from the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2017 Exhibition, National Portrait Gallery, London, England, 2017

And "Carlana, Pastoral Study, 2020" (left) at Photographic Center Northwest (Seattle, WA) from the exhibition "Time Capsule," Juried by Shamim M. Momin, 2021.

Exhibition print from "Time Capsule," Juror: Shamim M. Momin, Photographic Center Northwest, Seattle, WA , 2021

A thought to ponder as you float in the art pool from Jerry Saltz: "Billions of photos are shot every year, and about the toughest thing a photographer can do is invent an original, deeply personal, instantly recognizable visual style.”

Solo Exhibition at Burnet Fine Art

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I’m pleased to announce dates for my third solo exhibition held at Burnet Fine Art & Advisory (Wayzata, MN) opening May 21 (I”ll be there 4-7pm). The Unchosen Ones features a selection of photographs from the series of the same name, presented in archival pigment prints, tintypes, and toned silver gelatin prints.

“(Kern’s) work is about people and animals, but it is also very much about a world in which people and animals continue to coexist, and the ways a childhood experience may or may not shape a later life,” writes Alison Nordström, Independent Curator, in her essay in the The Unchosen Ones: Portraits of an American Pastoral (MW Editions, 2021).