Sunday, February 14, 2016

Local Art Seen: Ken Bloom Shares His Resurrected Youth @ the DAI

The story goes that in 1976 a young Ken Bloom bought a one-way ticket to Japan with almost nothing other than a Leica camera.  Forty years later the fruit of this expedition is now on display at the Duluth Art Institute in an exhibition titled Public Domain: Street Photographs of Japan 1976-78.

When I think of Japan a number of memories come to mind. As a kid we used to play the game Risk and I always chose Japan as my "homeland" with my chosen color being black. In later years I think of Japanese filmmaker Akiro Kurosawa who some consider one of cinema's most influential filmmakers.

Bloom's photographs invite viewers to engage. His images capture moments in time three decades removed from the war that left this island nation scarred and tattered, a period that has itself now passed. History is fluid, but the lens freezes its details in the form of visual poetry.


A steady throng that included friends of the Tweed, the DAI and the local arts community remained present throughout the duration of the opening reception.
An artist talk will be conducted on March 15 at 5:00 p.m.
The exhibit will continue on display through April 2.

The Duluth Art Institute is located upstairs on the fourth floor of the Duluth Depot, 506 West Michigan Street. 

Meantime, art goes on all around you. Celebrate it. 

No comments:

Popular Posts