Richard Kern

Richard Kern – Photographer & Filmmaker

Richard Kern is a New York–based photographer and filmmaker whose work sits at the intersection of raw portraiture, human sexuality, and psychological exposure. His practice is direct and unsparing — shaped by proximity to his subjects rather than distance from them.

Working primarily in photography and underground cinema, Kern has built a body of work that is consistent in its refusal of sentiment. His images deal in the body, desire, and discomfort, set against the social and physical textures of New York. The filmmaking and the photography inform each other; neither softens the other.

His publishing output spans more than 30 books, with work shown in exhibitions across multiple continents. The Photobooks available through Lokator100 represent a cross-section of that output — selected for lasting relevance to the shop's focus on photography and artist publications, not for topicality.

Lokator100 carries Kern's work because it holds up under sustained attention. The selection here reflects personal interest in photography that operates outside commercial image culture — work that remains consistent regardless of when it was made or when it is read.