Arno Rafael Minkkinen
Encyclopedia
Arno Rafael Minkkinen is a Finnish photographer who works in the United States.
Minkkinen was born in Helsinki
, Finland
in 1945. After his family moved to the United States
, Minkkinen graduated from Wagner College
in 1967 with a Bachelor of Arts
in English Literature, and from Rhode Island School of Design
where he studied with Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind
with a Master of Fine Arts
in Photography. After teaching for a few years at M.I.T.
Minkkinen is now a Full Professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell
in the Art Department, where he, together with Timo Laaksonen, founded the cultural exchange, Spirit Level Workshops in 1996. Together with Laaksonen and Mark Eshbaugh
, Spirit Level II (2003) and III (2007) resulted in the publication of a book commemorating the experiences to date. Minkkinen's work is included in over 55 major museum/institutional collections including the Helsinki Museum of Photography., and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
.
He is co-editor and has images in:
Career
Minkkinen is known for his black and white abstract pieces which juxtapose bodies and landscapes in surprising ways: he "directs scenes in which his body — or a portion of it — appears as an integral part of the landscape — such as an outcropping or rock formation".Minkkinen was born in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
in 1945. After his family moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Minkkinen graduated from Wagner College
Wagner College
Wagner College is a private, co-educational, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 total students located atop Grymes Hill in New York City's borough of Staten Island...
in 1967 with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in English Literature, and from Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design is a fine arts and design college located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1877. Located at the base of College Hill, the RISD campus is contiguous with the Brown University campus. The two institutions share social, academic, and community resources and...
where he studied with Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind
Aaron Siskind
Aaron Siskind was an American abstract expressionist photographer. In his biography he wrote that he began his foray into photography when he received a camera for a wedding gift and began taking pictures on his honeymoon. He quickly realized the artistic potential this offered...
with a Master of Fine Arts
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
in Photography. After teaching for a few years at M.I.T.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
Minkkinen is now a Full Professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell
University of Massachusetts Lowell
The University of Massachusetts Lowell is a public university in Lowell, Massachusetts, and part of the University of Massachusetts system...
in the Art Department, where he, together with Timo Laaksonen, founded the cultural exchange, Spirit Level Workshops in 1996. Together with Laaksonen and Mark Eshbaugh
Mark Eshbaugh
Mark Eshbaugh is an artist, author and musician and photographer.-Art career:Eshbaugh's primary media are photography and painting and sculpting....
, Spirit Level II (2003) and III (2007) resulted in the publication of a book commemorating the experiences to date. Minkkinen's work is included in over 55 major museum/institutional collections including the Helsinki Museum of Photography., and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the United States, attracting over one million visitors a year. It contains over 450,000 works of art, making it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas...
.
Notable photographs
- Self-portrait, Beach Pond, CT, 1974
- Self-portrait, Narragansett, RI, 1973
- Self-portrait, Helsinki, Finland, 1977
- Self-portrait, Kalavesi, Kuopio, Finland, 1991
- Self-portrait, With Maija-Kaarina, Sysma, Finland, 1992
Exhibitions
Minkkinen's solo exhibitions have included:- "Saga: The Journey of Arno Rafael Minkkinen, Thirty-Five Years of Photographs". DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park (LincolnLincoln, MassachusettsLincoln is a town in the historic area of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,362 at the 2010 census, including residents of Hanscom Air Force Base that live within town limits...
, Mass.); Bucharest Museum of Contemporary Art; Lianzhou International Photography Festival; Salo Art Museum (Finland). 2005–2008.
Books
Minkkinen has published several books including:- Frostbite. Dobbs Ferry, NY, Morgan &Morgan, 1978. ISBN 0-87100-143-8.
- Waterline. New York, NY, 1993. ISBN 0-89381-648-5.
- Body Land. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institutional Press, Washington DC, 1999. ISBN 1-56098-880-0.
- Saga: The Journey of Arno Rafael Minkkinen, Thirty-five Years of Photographs. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2005 ISBN 0-8118-5146-X.
-
- (essay by A. D. ColemanA. D. Coleman-Career and recognition:Coleman was the first photo critic for the New York Times, authoring 120 articles during his tenure. He started writing in 1967 and has contributed to the Village Voice, New York Observer and numerous magazines, artist monographs and other publications worldwide...
)- Home Work. Helsinki: LIKE, 2008. ISBN 978-9520101084.
- (essay by A. D. Coleman
He is co-editor and has images in:
- Timo Laaksonen and Arno Rafael Minkkinen. In Spirit of the Masters. Keravan Taidomuseo 2000. ISBN 952-9642-23-7.