Mitch Kern
Encyclopedia
Mitch Kern is an American
photographer living in Canada whose work explores the relationship between the individual and society. Kern uses portrait photography
as a vehicle for social commentary.
Born in New York City
, he moved to Los Angeles
as a teenager. He has an MFA
in photography from Penn State University, exhibits internationally, and is the Head of the Photography Department at the Alberta College of Art and Design
.
In the mid 90s he attended the University of Maryland, Baltimore County where his work took on a more personal and stylized approach. In the late 90s he began a deluge of conceptually driven studio portraits and self portraits, but his representations were not yet clearly defined until entering the graduate art program at Penn State.
Studying with photographer Ken Graves and performance artist Charles Garoian, he created his first visual metaphors of cultural identity as his work took on a more mature style, and he began enlarging his head and shoulders portraits to life size proportions. It is here that he laid down some lasting formal ground rules; a camera positioned at eye level, a softly lit subject, and a direct, symmetrical gaze.
His work has been understood as a commentary on race, class and gender, and an exploration of the premise that human identity is a social construct, pieces of an intellectual puzzle, the result of complex social and political forces that are difficult to track and even harder to predict.
In addition to producing large scale studio and location portraits his work includes video, sculpture, and performance, and he continues to teach and speak about art in Canada, the U.S. and abroad.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
photographer living in Canada whose work explores the relationship between the individual and society. Kern uses portrait photography
Portrait photography
Portrait photography or portraiture is the capture by means of photography of the likeness of a person or a small group of people , in which the face and expression is predominant. The objective is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the subject...
as a vehicle for social commentary.
Born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, he moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
as a teenager. He has an MFA
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
in photography from Penn State University, exhibits internationally, and is the Head of the Photography Department at the Alberta College of Art and Design
Alberta College of Art and Design
-History:The Alberta College of Art & Design is a Canadian degree-granting, publicly-funded art and design college located in Calgary . It was known as the Provincial Institute of Technology and Arts, which was part of SAIT until 1985...
.
Early career
Portraiture is the thread that runs through his work. Since the early 90s he has produced a large body of images that explore the psychology and sociology of the human condition. Portraits produced on location dominate his early photographic output.In the mid 90s he attended the University of Maryland, Baltimore County where his work took on a more personal and stylized approach. In the late 90s he began a deluge of conceptually driven studio portraits and self portraits, but his representations were not yet clearly defined until entering the graduate art program at Penn State.
Studying with photographer Ken Graves and performance artist Charles Garoian, he created his first visual metaphors of cultural identity as his work took on a more mature style, and he began enlarging his head and shoulders portraits to life size proportions. It is here that he laid down some lasting formal ground rules; a camera positioned at eye level, a softly lit subject, and a direct, symmetrical gaze.
Mid career
Kern’s signature portraits, with their objective style, relaxed expressions, and seamless backgrounds, signify issues central to his thinking, a quest to understand cultural identity through the lens of postmodernism.His work has been understood as a commentary on race, class and gender, and an exploration of the premise that human identity is a social construct, pieces of an intellectual puzzle, the result of complex social and political forces that are difficult to track and even harder to predict.
In addition to producing large scale studio and location portraits his work includes video, sculpture, and performance, and he continues to teach and speak about art in Canada, the U.S. and abroad.