Arno Rafael Minkkinen: Mind Over Matter

Arno Rafael Minkkinen, From the Shelton Hotel Looking East, 2005.

Southeast Museum of Photography, Daytona Beach

Through October 29, 2017

This exhibition incorporates some of Finnish-American photographer Arno Rafael Minkkinen’s “self-portraits” from the 1970s and 1980s, as well as contemporary and recent work and, in a rare move for the artist, selections of his color photography.

Born in Helsinki, Minkkinen emigrated to the U.S. in 1951. His photos are striking in their clarity, and though his unique style has barely strayed from its foundational elements, his images never seem redundant, clichéd or repetitive. Minkkinen’s storied career in photography includes solo and group exhibitions in galleries and museums around the world; a small library of publications, including full-length photo books and works with his critical essays, fiction and even screenplays; teaching positions, residencies and speaking engagements; and a host of photography awards.

“Many of my photographs are difficult to make,” he says of his artistic approach. “Some can even be dangerous. I do not want to have someone else coming in harm’s way taking the risks I need to take: to lean out off a cliff or stay underwater for the sake of my picture. We control how much pain we can tolerate; such information is unknowable by anyone else. Some of my pictures might look simple, but in reality they can test the limits of what a human body is capable of or willing to risk. Thus, I title them self-portraits, so the viewer knows who is in the picture and who took it.” www.smponline.org