Ken Graves

KEN GRAVES' collages reveal the wit and precision of his mind and hands. Rearranging found photographs from early to mid-twentieth century American magazines and inserting a range of materials, Graves creates surreal images that open a world of interpretive narratives. With humor and a very sharp knife, these collages dissect American pop culture and idealism through fantasies that reposition familiar imagery into absurd compositions. Kenneth Graves received his B.F.A. and M.F.A. from the San Francisco Art Institute in the 1960s and currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Beginning in 1977 and until 2009, Graves taught photography at Pennsylvania State University, where his work transitioned from traditional documentary style photography to a studio-based, controlled style. His collages reflect his background as a photographer and professor, and they pay tribute to Victorian paper collages and surrealist art while commenting on contemporary situations. Both Graves' collages and photographs are collected and exhibited in major museums, such as the New York and San Francisco Museums of Modern Art, Brooklyn Museum, Houston Museum of the Arts, the George Eastman House, and the National Library in Paris. Kenneth Graves is a recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship (2001).