The 'Baron by Richard Kern' NFT collection coincides with the photographers book and features works from this project. The project explores the dichotomy between girl and woman, between the nude and the dressed, and between playfulness and seriousness.

Kern does not ask his subjects to pose for him, nor does he direct them. He doesn’t even contact or cast them. Rather, the subjects contact him, and pose for him in any way they are comfortable. They sometimes choose to be portrayed in the nude and they have full control of the way their bodies are photographed. Therefore, the work is a collaboration between the model and the photographer, as they both construct the image.

This process plays out an interesting power dynamic, as the photographer is an older man and the subject is a young woman. Yet, by being seemingly opposed, the photographs are shaped by the male gaze, but simultaneously express the subjects’ agency over their sexuality and their bodies. However, how far is the performance of these young women a true expression of their new-found sexuality? Or is that performance rather shaped by the patriarchy and influenced by the endless stream of pop culture on what it is to be a woman?

The works are layered on top of each other, veiling and unveiling the female body. In doing so, Kern creates a hallucinating image of a feminine subject, emphasized through the translucency of the pictures.

Richard Kern Artist Bio

Richard Kern (1954, USA) is a filmmaker and photographer from New York. He was a vivid member of the late ‘70’s ‘no-wave’ scene and the underground cult genre ‘Cinema of Transgression’. His cinematographic work is characterised by subversive elements such as violence and sex. Throughout his career, he has worked with musicians such as Lydia Lunch, Henry Rollins, Sonic Youth and Butthole Surfers. His book, New York Girls, from 1997, features punk queens and sub-cultural heroines portrayed in the nude. More recently, Kern investigated youthfulness in his work. His book, Medicated (2020), features photographs and interviews of girls on prescribed drugs. Baron Issue 7 is a continuation of Kern’s ongoing research on the portrayal of girlhood. His work has been exhibited and collected internationally with museums including MoMA, New York and Palais de Tokyo, Paris.