Ken Schles
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 the photos to prove it. Sometimes he doesn't though, because sometimes things that are of significance happen in ways that are impossible to express visually. The transformations people experience are certainly compelling to visualize, and Ken has tried to understand the long and complex relationship we humans have to images. But the image can be a very blunt a tool when attempting to express specific subtle and nuanced ideas. Ken realizes this and has spent many years exploring the syntax of images and endeavours to extend the scope of photographic expression to encompass the complexity of human thought.
Ken enjoys working on projects in book form. Ken feels the intimacy and length of the book form provides 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, Reuben Kadish, Hans Haacke and Martha Rosler. He also studied 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 the New Yorker. It has influenced a generation of photographers and is a favorite of the photographer Robert Frank.
