J Robison
Short, simple, and to the point. That’s how I would describe
Kevin Miyazaki’s work.
I’ve noticed throughout my life that the most elegant and
workable solutions tend to be the simplest. I believe that this philosophy extends
to art. It’s certainly defined Miyazaki’s photography, regardless of why he is
shooting it. Everything - from his portraits to his travel images, from his
histo-social memory work to his fine-art images – is constructed without spending
heaps of time in Photoshop or resorting to gimmicks of any sort. In return,
viewers get imagery chock-full of purpose and feeling – multi-layered tales of
dimension and depth that provide endless thought and pleasure. Miyazaki’s
posing and phrasing belie their simple structures, providing the full weight of
memory and years in their construction.
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| Kevin Miyazaki, installing Perimeter |
One long-duration series of works revolve around the
internment of Japanese-Americans in the western United States during World War
II. Miyazaki is closely-tied to this subject – his father and extended
relatives were interned – and he has created several pieces on the topic. He
examines memory through the collection of family photos in Echo, exposing the weight of their experience. With this knowledge,
Miyazaki goes further, allowing some sarcasm and a dash of bitterness to season
work like A Guide to Modern Camp Homes,
a photobook mimicry of old Sears and Roebuck home catalogues from the 1930s
where he offers the assorted barracks of the internment camps as floor models
for sale to prospective customers.
Miyazaki's Camp Home undertakes a large-scale exploration of the
actual barrack structures after their removal from the camps and sale to farmers throughout the West. By imaging buildings
inside and out, frequently shooting pictures in the homes of WWII veterans and
their families, he seems to have provided himself an outlet – almost a
cathartic relief of memory and soul, by showing the new life of these
buildings. These images offer a measure of happiness and joy, forgiveness and
absolution.
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| Camp Home |
Miyazaki is a Milwaukee treasure. His work will
inspire new generations of native photographers like myself for many years to
come.
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