PICTURE FICTION: KENNETH JOSEPHSON AND CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY

April 28 - December 30, 2018

Chicago-based photographer Kenneth Josephson changed the way we think about pictures with conceptual photographs that push the boundaries of the medium. By playing with the unique ability of a photography to be cropped, reproduced, circulated, or archived, his work demonstrates that photographs can convey an idea in addition to a picture.

His methods are the result of Josephson's years at the Illinois Institute of Design, where he studied under Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind before going on to teach at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for nearly 40 years. Examining Josephson's production from roughly 1960-80, Picture Fiction presents his four main ongoing series: Images within Images, Marks and Evidence, History of Photography Series, and Archaeological Series.

Largely drawn from the MCA's collection, the exhibition reveals concerns shared by Josephson and conceptual artists emerging in the 1960s, and draws parallels between his practice and those of other contemporary artists, including Roe Ethridge, Jessica Labatte, Marlo Pascual, Jimmy Robert, and Xaviera Simmons. The exhibition is organized by Lauren Fulton, former MCA Curatorial Research Fellow with MCA Chief Curator Michael Darling.