The Kranzberg’s “In Place of Context” Exhibition Explores the Expressive Power of Architecture
Date Posted: December 19, 2023
Posted In: Discussion, People,
From Ladue News: Architecture, according to photographer Ken Konchel, is not a dismissible backdrop to our daily lives – it’s a dynamic force that shapes our society, connects our past and defines our relationships. “In Place of Context,” Konchel’s newest exhibition at The Kranzberg Arts Foundation, invites viewers to reconstruct their view of the world around them through a close examination of the fundamental elements of architecture – shape, line, pattern, tone and texture – and appreciate the integral aspects of their existence which can often be taken for granted. The exhibition, shown from Dec. 1, 2023, to Jan. 27, 2024, promises compositions that stretch beyond immediate recognition and introduces audiences to intriguing visual possibilities that transform the buildings, and world, around them.
Congratulations on “In Place of Context.” Can you share the inspiration behind the title and what it signifies in the larger context of your work?
“The name of the exhibition emerges from my intention to make compelling photographs that remove the context and distill architecture to nothing but relationships with shape, line, pattern, form, detail, tone and texture. I used to create more representational work, but I found more fulfillment in taking detailed shots of buildings to create compositions that don’t immediately reveal themselves as architecture. I like to take detailed images of architecture up close, so audiences can’t quite recognize the building right away and view it from a perspective they may not have considered before.”
Your photography often involves using unusual vantage points and spatial ambiguities between buildings. How do you choose these perspectives, and what role does the viewer’s interaction with space play into your artistic vision?
“I’ve been shooting in St. Louis for a long time; years ago, I began documenting the architecture of other cities. At this point, I’m up to 19 cities in addition to St. Louis. What I typically do is called ‘scouting for an image,’ which is where I’ll walk around a building that I find intriguing to determine the composition that would be most compelling. I evaluate potential shots that explore the angles, cubes, curves, triangles and other shapes of the building to challenge and captivate people by introducing them to different visual possibilities in architecture.”