Kern Photo, Minneapolis, MN (2026)

06/09/2026

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 a dozen works on view and offered for sale.

06/03/2026

I’m currently in the office responding to all emails and calls.

05/29/2026

I love getting high school graduation announcements from youth participants from “The Unchosen Ones” project. When I met Kael in 2016 he was headed to third grade. A decade later, he graduated high school and will continue to pursue his passion in the agricultural world. Congratulations on your hard work, Kael! I wish you the best.

Titles

1. Collector’s Edition details
2. Kael, Pastoral Study, 2020
3. Kael and 317, Carver County Fair, Minnesota, 2016 (left) and Kael and 317, Carver County, Minnesota, 2020 (right)
4. The Herrera Family, 2021, Minnesota State Fair, toned gelatin silver print from wet plate collodion tintype

“We humans share the planet with a multitude of animals, connected by venerable, varied, and revealing relationships; we see this complexity confirmed when these connections are depicted photographically. When we photograph animals, we present and construct them in contradictory ways: they may be spectacle, entertainment, trophy, companion, commodity, enemy, pest, pet, worker, totem, symbol, or tomorrow’s lunch, but they are always subjects of both the camera and the humans for whom the camera is a tool.”

— Alison Nordström, excerpted from her essay, “Why Photograph Animals” published in The Unchosen Ones: Portraits of An American Pastoral (MW Editions, 2021).

05/19/2026

Hello new followers, my name is R. J. Kern and I am a Minneapolis-based artist whose work explores ideas of home, ancestry, and the sense of place. I share eight photographs created over the last decade that are among my favorites.

The more time I spend with young people growing up on farms and learn about their future plans, the more eager I am to use my tools to share their stories with a broader audience. This feels pivotal since many lack a voice in discussions about agriculture, sustainability, and community, and their perspectives are vital for shaping a more inclusive narrative about our world.

If you are interested in adding my work to your photographic collection or would like to collaborate on a portrait commission, please DM me.

I’m proud to work with my galleries and publishers .

I’m currently teaching the creative practices of what I do… including this exercise of re-introducing myself to my Instagram audience. I appreciate your friendship!

Artwork titles:

1. “Kol and Annabell, Anoka County Fair, Minnesota, 2016” (left), “Kol and Annabell, Anoka County, Minnesota, 2020” (right) from “The Unchosen Ones”
2. “Live Action Role Players, Blue Earth County Fair, Minnesota, 2022” from “The Last Fair”
3. “Sheep Bed, Norway” (2024) from “Divine Animals: The Bovidae”
4. “David with Sheep and Grandpa, Pastoral Study, 2020” from “The Unchosen Ones”
5. “Spare Time Club, (Søndre Aas farm), Oslo, Norway” (2023) from “Divine Animals: The Bovidae”
6. “German Pastoral Study I” (2016) from “Divine Animals: The Bovidae”
7. “Nelly and Mate” (2016) from “Out to Pasture”

05/19/2026

Hello new followers, my name is R. J. Kern and I am a Minneapolis-based artist whose work explores ideas of home, ancestry, and the sense of place. I share eight photographs created over the last decade that are among my favorites.

The more time I spend with young people growing up on farms and learn about their future plans, the more eager I am to use my tools to share their stories with a broader audience. This feels pivotal since many lack a voice in discussions about agriculture, sustainability, and community, and their perspectives are vital for shaping a more inclusive narrative about our world.

If you are interested in adding my work to your photographic collection or would like to collaborate on a portrait commission, please DM me.

I’m proud to work with my galleries and publishers .

I’m currently teaching the creative practices of what I do… including this exercise of re-introducing myself to my Instagram audience. I appreciate your friendship!

Artwork titles:

1. “Kol and Annabell, Anoka County Fair, Minnesota, 2016” (left), “Kol and Annabell, Anoka County, Minnesota, 2020” (right) from “The Unchosen Ones”
2. “Live Action Role Players, Blue Earth County Fair, Minnesota, 2022” from “The Last Fair”
3. “Sheep Bed, Norway” (2024) from “Divine Animals: The Bovidae”
4. “David with Sheep and Grandpa, Pastoral Study, 2020” from “The Unchosen Ones”
5. “Spare Time Club, (Søndre Aas farm), Oslo, Norway” (2023) from “Divine Animals: The Bovidae”
6. “German Pastoral Study I” (2016) from “Divine Animals: The Bovidae”
7. “Nelly and Mate” (2016) from “Out to Pasture”

05/05/2026

New site launched… 10 years later.

Last month it quietly soft launched. Today it feels official.

I taught the first session of ’s From Studio to Screen: Crafting Your Artist Website, where we focused on one key idea: sketch before you build. A strong website, like any solid structure, starts with a clear blueprint.

We looked at artist websites together—what holds attention, what falls flat—and kept coming back to the essentials: clean design, strong images, and intuitive navigation. We also broke down how to structure an About page that actually works—exhibitions, publications, CV, all doing real work.

After class, I finally made the full jump—migrating from Squarespace 7.0 (built in 2016) to 7.1. What started as a quick update turned into a round of thoughtful design and navigation tweaks.

Take a look → www.rjkern.com

Thanks to .steaffens for the guidance along the way.

05/05/2026

New site launched… 10 years later.

Last month it quietly soft launched. Today it feels official.

I taught the first session of ’s From Studio to Screen: Crafting Your Artist Website, where we focused on one key idea: sketch before you build. A strong website, like any solid structure, starts with a clear blueprint.

We looked at artist websites together—what holds attention, what falls flat—and kept coming back to the essentials: clean design, strong images, and intuitive navigation. We also broke down how to structure an About page that actually works—exhibitions, publications, CV, all doing real work.

After class, I finally made the full jump—migrating from Squarespace 7.0 (built in 2016) to 7.1. What started as a quick update turned into a round of thoughtful design and navigation tweaks.

Take a look → www.rjkern.com

Thanks to .steaffens for the guidance along the way.

04/24/2026

Holy cow—48! Feeling grateful today. Looking back at this photo I made in Germany a decade ago, I’m reminded how much there still is to explore in the years ahead.

04/22/2026

Happy Earth Day 2026.

Honored to be shortlisted for the International Photography Exhibition 167 along with friends and photographers from around the world as part of the longest-running contemporary photography exhibition.

“The Last Fair” (2021+) is an on-ging series, a rural meditation on the modern pastoral where I live in Minnesota. I’m thinking about food source and sustainability, future farming and life skills youth learn from raising and showing animals.

Thank you to jurors Jaskirt Dhaliwal-Boora , Lydia Goldblatt , Max Gorbatskyi , Irene Lombardo , and Dr Michael Pritchard for including my work.

Two reasons I like the IPE exhibitions: jurors look at actual prints in the decision process (not just digital pixels) and final 100 selected works become apart of a touring exhibition to multiple venues in the UK.

Captions:

1. In the studio, the four prints shipped to the UK for judging
2. Opichi Drum performance at Mahnomen County Fair, White Earth Reservation, Minnesota, 2023
3. Detail: 2. Opichi Drum performance at Mahnomen County Fair, White Earth Reservation, Minnesota, 2023
4. Live Action Role Players, Blue Earth County Fair, Minnesota, 2022
5. Aitkin County Fair 4-H, Minnesota, 2025
6. Isanti County Fair 4-H, Minnesota, 2025

04/18/2026

31 Meditations in Death Valley: print selections for artist book.

Unique, expired silver gelatin chemigrams (gold-toned) from the series Magnetic:Fields. Each 4 × 5 inch print created in Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park, the lowest point in North America, elevation 282 feet below sea level. The site-specific work created on March 1-2, 2026 during a superbloom, considered by scientists as a “once-in-a-decade” event. Each unique print presented in an artist book folio.

Choice of unique 1/1 print. Pre-sale on now. Link in profile.

Kern Photo

06/09/2026

06/03/2026

05/29/2026

05/19/2026

05/19/2026

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04/24/2026

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04/18/2026

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