aRNO RAFAEL MINKKINEN
HUMAN NATURE — Sliperiet Konsthall - Borgvik - Värmland in Sweden
OPENING ON MAY 26TH - SEPTEMBER 2024
Arno Rafael Minkkinen, a Finnish American photographer, has profoundly influenced the genre of self-portraiture with one of the longest running, nonstop bodies of work in its history. Since 1969, Minkkinen has dedicated himself to an ongoing series of unmanipulated nude self-portraits set against the backdrops of nature and urban environments, reaching across 30 countries and 30 American states. His practice, grounded in a deep connection to the landscapes he photographs, explores themes of human vulnerability, and the intrinsic link between body and environment.
Educated in English Literature at Wagner College, Minkkinen's career trajectory shifted after a stint as a Madison Avenue copywriter, inspiring him to pursue photography under the mentorship of Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind at the Rhode Island School of Design, where he earned his MFA. A Guggenheim fellow, Minkkinen has balanced his artistic practice with a robust academic career, now serving as Emeritus Professor of Art at the University of Massachusetts and Docent at Aalto University in Helsinki.
Minkkinen’s works are a staple in over 75 esteemed collections globally, and his commitment to education is mirrored in his extensive teaching across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. His unique vision and relentless exploration of the self-portrait have not only marked him as a pivotal figure in contemporary photography but also as a bridge between the visual poetics of body and space.
The "Human Nature" exhibition at Sliperiet showcases Arno Rafael Minkkinen'sphotography spanning from 1970 to 2020, captured across thirty countries and thirty American states. This exhibition isn't laid out chronologically nor is it a retrospective. Instead, it’s an introspective focusing on the existential human condition through selfportraiture, offering an exuberant experience from an artist who has eluded categorization for more than five decades.
In today's troubled world, it's calming to pause and reflect on Minkkinen’s self-portraits. He blends his body with natural elements, turning each image into a visual puzzle. Working nearly always alone, without assistants or digital manipulation, he turns the naked body in nature into a universal symbol. Even with self-imposed constraints, each photograph remains distinct yet consistent over time.
Curated by Ellen K Willas
Arno Rafael Minkkinen
Laurence, Ta 'Cenc, Gozo, Malta, 2002
Archival Pigment Print - Limited edition.
“By restricting himself to self-defined limitations, he seeks to keep everything the same, and yet every picture is always different. I know of no one in the history of art whose persistence of vision and practice has extended nonstop for Two Hundred Seasons.
While his art can be seen as part of the conceptual approaches taken by artists such as Bruce Nauman, Lucas Samaras, and Cindy Sherman, Minkkinen is Minkkinen, flouting all and any classification. Arno is pure poetry, and his oeuvre is an enduring, contemporary homage to the relationship between nature and humankind.”
“‘What happens inside your mind can happen inside a camera!’
[Campaign headline for Minolta cameras, written by Minkkinen when he worked as an advertising copywriter] ”
Arno Rafael Minkkinen and Ellen K Willas in conversation at WILLAS contemporary in Oslo in the exhibition ‘Floating in the Air’.
MINKKINEN