Mikael had a guest gallery with us back in April 2007, I love his work so thought id share this email I juat rec'd.
Opening November 14th
Studio 101 Gallery
1932 S. Halsted St #101
Chicago IL 60608
The Odysseus
by Mikael Kennedy
The Odysseus is a story of the search for home.
In the classical myth of the Odyssey, Odysseus wants only to return home; to his wife and children, to his house and his lands. Odysseus is held captive at the whim of the gods and what was intended to be a short and simple voyage becomes a perilous and challenging journey.
The story presented here in this collection of photographs begins in the midst of the journey. There is no home to start from; ?home? is an idealized vision, a utopia, a goal. The photographs that make up The Odysseus, in their searching and longing, manifest the journey within a brooding of death and isolation. The photographs are a reflection on the intangible emotions of lack, absence, and desire: The aching call to home. The landscapes alternate between desolate and bleak, to towering over the frame, at both times illustrating the smallness of the individual and the magnitude of the journey. The lone figures that sparingly appear in the frame are encased in the landscape around them; as if the gods themselves were closing in the corners of the world while stretching out the distances between. In the world created here we wander through a fog, our vision obscured by the branches, our sight lost in the sun, in this is a desire to find home.
Artist Bio:
Mikael Kennedy (b.1979) is an artist born and raised in Randolph, Vermont. His photographic work has been shown in galleries across the country; most recently exhibiting in New York City and Portland, Or. His photographs have been featured in magazines internationally and are represented in several collections within the United States. Self-published collections of his work can be found in limited editions at select boutiques and bookstores as well as online at
www.mikaelkennedy.com.
