Rj Kern
R. J. Kern (b. 1978) is an American artist whose work investigates ideas of home, ancestry, and a sense of place. His portraits focus on intimate, interdependent relationships of people, animals, and landscape as a means of exploring how ancestry shapes identity and how myth intertwines with personal history. Increasingly, his attention has been captured by the next generation of young people, who may or may not be the stewards of rural communities and economies in the future.
Inspired by Minnesota’s rich agricultural traditions, R. J. Kern launched The Last Fair project in 2021, creating portraits of county fairs with a nod to classical painting techniques. Drawing inspiration from artists like Pieter Bruegel and Grandma Moses, the project aims to showcase the vibrant tapestry of rural life at county fairs across Minnesota. No Photoshop or compositing techniques are used to create the series. Studio lighting is used on location to shape shadow and light.
Rural communities in the U.S. are undergoing significant transformations, with the number of retiring farmers increasing while new farmers are on the decline in Minnesota. As a parent, I am troubled by what this means for the next generation’s understanding of farms, sustainability, and stewardship of the land, especially in the face of climate change. These worries, coupled with the dwindling interest in agriculture among children, motivate my artistic endeavors.
The shift from small family farms to large monoculture operations has had a profound effect on rural America, with county fairs being one of the casualties. Once a vibrant showcase of diverse livestock, some county fairs now see sparse entries in competitions once fierce. Despite diminishing appeal of county fairs to today’s youth, these events remain crucial in passing on life lessons and agricultural traditions.
Kern’s work has been included in group exhibitions at the Zurab Tsereteli Museum of Modern Art (Tbilisi), the National Portrait Gallery (London), and the Yixian International Photo Festival (Anhui, China), among others, and solo exhibitions at the Griffin Museum of Photography (Winchester, MA), the Plains Art Museum (Fargo, ND), the Masur Museum of Art (Monroe, LA), and the Blanden Art Museum (Fort Dodge, IA). Kern’s work has been shown at commercial galleries including Burnet Fine Art & Advisory (Minneapolis), Klompching Gallery (Brooklyn), Olson-Larsen Galleries (Des Moines), and Veronique Wantz Gallery (Minneapolis).
Selected collections holding his work include: Blanden Art Museum (Fort Dodge, IA), Fidelity Corporate Art Collection (Boston, MA), General Mills Corporate Collection (Minneapolis, MN), Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art (Tarpon Springs, FL), Masur Museum of Art (Monroe, LA), Minneapolis Institute of Art (Minneapolis, MN), Museum of Fine Arts (Houston, TX), Museum of Fine Arts (St. Petersburg, FL), Nevada Museum of Art (Reno, NV), Oklahoma State University Museum of Art (Stillwater, OK), Plains Art Museum (Fargo, ND), Rourke Art Museum (Moorhead, MN), Walker Art Center (Minneapolis, MN), and the Worcester Art Museum (Worcester, MA).
