Bio

Ken Schles
Version 1: Ken was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1960. He lives there with his wife and two children. A lot has happened along the way and sometimes Ken has photos to prove it. Sometimes he doesn't though, because there are times when moments of significance lie outside the visual realm and cannot be expressed photographically. We know the transformations people experience can be compelling to visualize, and Ken has tried to understand the long and complex relationship we humans have had to images. He also knows the image can be a blunt tool when attempting to express specific/subtle and/or nuanced ideas. True, the image can speak clearly to us in complex ways that lie outside of text or verbal understanding. Images can instantly relay or reveal undeniable truths. Some images even have an unspeakable beauty. Ken realizes there are seemingly irreconcilable contradictions contained within the image and he has spent many years exploring their syntax. Compelled by this quest, he (perhaps naively) endeavors to extend the scope of photographic expression to encompass the complexity of human thought.

Ken enjoys working on projects in book form. He feels the intimacy of books provide an almost perfect medium for the photographic experience.

Ken studied photography at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art with Len Jenshel and Larry Fink, and additionally with the artists Reuben Kadish, Hans Haacke and Martha Rosler. He also studied briefly with the legendary Lisette Model at the New School for Social Research. Prior to graduation he began working for Gilles Peress.

After graduating he turned his camera toward the world and began the task of asking questions. To this day Ken's work displays strong connections to the tradition of documentary photography but also works within a rigorous conceptual framework. He has exhibited his work internationally (most notably through Noorderlicht in The Netherlands and the FOAM in Amsterdam and MoMA in NY) and has enjoyed much critical success. His book Invisible City was a New York Times "notable" book of the year and was called "hellishly brilliant" by Vince Aletti in the New Yorker. It has influenced a generation of photographers and is a favorite of the photographer Robert Frank.

Version 2: Ken Schles photographs.He talks and writes about that experience as well. His books are considered “intellectual milestones in photography.” (Süddeutsche Zeitung). His most recent book, A New History of Photography, was a finalist for the 2009 Rencontres d’Arles Photographie Contemporary Book Award. Vince Aletti in the New Yorker called his book Invisible City, “hellishly brilliant.” Invisible City was also included in MoMA’s More Than One Photography exhibition and listed in M+M Auer’s survey of photographic books. Books of his have appeared on “notable” lists published by Photo-Eye and the Sunday New York Times Book Review. He is included in private and public collections such as MoMA, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Brooklyn Museum, The Art Institute of Chicago and LACMA, among others. Ken Schles is a NYFA Fellow and is an adjunct teacher at ICP.