If you have been clicking through his website, welcome to our site. If you love what you see, please do us a big favor and spread the word about Arno Rafael Minkkinen’s work. The more visitors we get, the better because we’d love to share the philosophy of his work.
As mentioned in previous pages of this website, we believe that there’s really no such thing as objective reality. Ultimately, it is based on the experiences and point of view of the observer. A lot of the things that we take for granted as hardwired truths or truths that nobody can dispute are actually open to question because ultimately a lot of the things that you think you see are illusions. A lot of these illusions are actually outward manifestations based on the inner workings of things that you choose to believe.
Never underestimate the power of belief because a lot of what you choose to believe about reality is conditioned by the ideas you choose to embrace. This is all a notion of choice, but as liberating as that may sound or as powerful as that may sound, there is another part to that.
The other part is that these choices are often imposed on us. These choices are often cultural in nature. It is no surprise that if you see the same advertising shown in many different formats and in many different media platforms that you eventually start buying in. It’s not because you chose it but it’s because you chose to be around it and it seeped into your mindset.
This is the background to the reality that Arno’s work allows of us to experience. We are reminded that the things that we choose to behold are ultimately our choices because it is our truths that we read into these images. Ultimately, whatever the artist has to say really doesn’t matter because the real artist is the observer.
This is the revolutionary leap in modern art whether it’s in paintings, sculptures or, in this case, photography. Arno Rafael Minkkinen’s works are great examples of this reality. It respects the fact that people have the right and the power and the ability to read their personal reality into the things that they are observing.
There’s no shame in this game. There’s really no right or wrong unless, of course, it involves crimes. You’re free to follow the beat of your own personal drummer. This drummer might be completely in your head and may completely color your view of reality.
That is all well and good, but the moment you start infringing on other people’s rights or you start robbing people of their rights, then we have a problem. That, it appears, is the only limit but, other than that, there’s a tremendous amount of freedom, and this is this is precisely the attitude that is evident in Arno Rafael Minkkinen’s work. It is a reflection as well as a celebration of this tremendous amount of freedom.
We understand that we have this power to read in our personal narratives into the works of art we choose to perceive. His work is a celebration of this. He invites people to read in their personal reality, and there is no judgment. That is the payoff.
Feel free to contact us and share with us your art criticism as well as your art philosophy. Share with us your short stories and personal readings of the artwork you see on this website. Furthermore, if you click on a link and you notice that it’s broken or leads to a dead page, do let us know.
Thank you for reaching out.