We were proud to welcome this reknowned photographer who is a committed socially engaged artist. He founded his work in the top field of international fashion photography, (working with artists like Annie Leibowitz, etc. )  but has dedicated his most recent years, among other projects,  to a passionate program he developed working with the Lakota peoples and thier history. Teaching photographic skills to the riders of the 300 Miles, the Oomaka Tokatakiya, this project focuses on an annual memorial horseback ride with the Lakota Tribes of South Dakota. 300 Miles is an ongoing social practice work, with teen age members from the tribe working alongside Marchionno.

The Oomaka Tokatakiya runs from December 15th, starting at the site of Sitting Bull’s murder, and ending on the 29th at Wounded Knee—the location of the final “battle” of the Indian Wars. This modern tradition was started in 1986 and continues today in memory of Sitting Bull and those who lost their lives in the massacre at Wounded Knee. Art Dialogue was fortunate enough to have Ken and two members of the tribe, Ramy and T.C. Hill, visit a few years back. We showed Ken's work at Galeria Califia,  and Ramy and T.C. lectured at the U.S. Embassy in Prague during that visit. Ken's work is inspiring a generation of not only Native Americans, but an international audience that is committed to changing deep transgressions of history through a postive engagement in the arts today. 

During Ken's residency at ArtMill he created an entrancing new series of large scaled photos entitled "Bohemian Landscapes". The work can be seen here, on his website. 

https://vimeo.com/138398679

Download file - Artist Statement