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Michael Kenna

New and Classic Images

July 21 – November 2, 2012

Selected Works Thumbnails Back
Copse Reflection, Vendramin, Veneto, Italy, 2007
Hashikui Rocks, Study 1, Kushimoto, Honshu, Japan, 2002
Huangshan Mountains, Study 9, Anhui, China, 2008
Punta Brava, Study 9, Ensenada, Mexico, 2008
Skyline, Shanghai, Study 5, China, 2011
Butterfly and Peonies, Kongobuji, Koyasan, Japan, 2006
Camellia Tree, Shosanji, Tokushima, Shikoku, Japan, 2010
Chikui Cape Trees, Muroran, Hokkaido, Japan, 2002
Fifty Fences, Taisetsu, Hokkaido, Japan, 2004
Floating Seaweed, Jeung-do, Shinan, South Korea, 2012
Frosty Morning, Onuma Lake, Hokkaido, Japan, 2004
Frozen Sea of Okhotsk, Study 3, Utoro, Japan, 2005
Fuji-san, Study 1, Yamanaka Lake, Honshu, Japan, 2001
Huangshan Mountains, Study 7, Anhui, China, 2008
Huangshan Mountains, Study 13, Anhui, China, 2008
Rock Formations, Study 2, Yoichi, Hokkaido, Japan, 2004
Huangshan Mountains, Study 18, Anhui, China, 2009
Huangshan Mountains, Study 21, Anhui, China, 2009
Huangshan Mountains, Study 36, Anhui, China, 2008
Huangshan Mountains, Study 42, Anhui, China, 2010
Kotji Beach Island, Taean, Chungcheongnamdo, South Korea, 2010
Kussharo Lake Tree, Study 9, Kotan, Hokkaido, Japan, 2009
Morning Calm, Jeung-do, Shinan, South Korea, 2012
Nandaro Box, Nayoro, Hokkaido, Japan, 2004
Philosopher's Tree, Study 3, Biei, Hokkaido, Japan, 2009
Sand Garden, Daisen-in Temple, Kyoto, Japan, 2001
Sand Mounds, Kamigamojinja, Kyoto, Japan, 1987
Sixteen Posts, Shirogane, Hokkaido, Japan. 2009
Snow Tree, Woljeongsa Temple, Gangwando, South Korea, 2005
Snowfall, Numakawa, Hokkaido, Japan, 2004
Torii Gates, Bentendake, Koyasan, Japan, 2006
Two Piers, Imazu, Honshu, Japan, 2001

Press Release

The Joseph Bellows Gallery is pleased to announce its upcoming exhibition of new and classic photographs by world renowned photographer Michael Kenna; with a special exhibition of work from Japan in our Atrium gallery.

"The word idyllic comes to mind about these pictures; a pastoral charm. There is no irony or telling contradictions explored through them, but rather they are about the links between romance and reality. The pictures convey the aura of intense melancholy; a character. Inherent in them is the paradox of seeing and photography." - Peter C. Bunnell, McAlpin Professor of the History of Photography and Modern Art Emeritus at Princeton University

Rock Formations, Yoichi, Japan, 2002Lake Bridge, Hongkun, Anhui, China, 2008
Since 1976, Michael Kenna (b. 1953, Widnes, Lancashire, England), has primarily concentrated on the uninhabited landscape to create minimalist compositions, resolved within a square format. Traces of human activity in his images produce a fascinating and haunting atmosphere. He uses long exposures taken either at night or at the beginning or end of the day, to enhance the texture and mood of his subjects. The skillful balance between light and dark shades, which is a strong indication of his signature style, contributes to his surreal and quite personal vision of the world. Kenna notes that photography is not about copying the world; rather, the subject goes through the filter of an individual human mind and emerges in a changed state. Kenna’s photographs suggest contemplation, and allow the viewer to daydream. He feels that his work is much closer to haiku poetry than full-length prose. Kenna does not try to deliver any message with his photographs; they are reminiscences of a free, lonely traveller; disclosing a very personal vision of the world through his exquisite compositions.

Giza Pyramids, Study 5, Cairo, Egypt, 2009Safdar Jang, Study 1, Delhi, India, 2006
Kenna's photographs are in many museum collections including The Chicago Art Institute, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The Denver Art Museum, The Victoria & Albert Museum, London, and The Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris. In 2000, Kenna received the award of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters from the French Government.

For additional information or high resolution images for reproduction, please contact the gallery at info@josephbellows.com.