Bob
Kelley

The Artist

Bob Kelley began photographing his family while attending art school in the early 1980s, taking on the role of a social scientist studying his own origins. Being gay and knowing he would never truly fit into the hereditary agenda, his role as a photographer allowed him to witness family dynamics with a detached, loving connection — always more comfortable watching the parade from the sidewalk than marching in it.

After obtaining his MFA from RISD in 1990, he organized community-based photographic projects involving HIV/AIDS representation and exhibitions featuring underrepresented urban juvenile photographers at institutions including SF Camerawork and the Photographic Resource Center in Boston. He went on to work as registrar at Gallery Paule Anglim and chief preparator at John Berggruen Gallery before a career in San Francisco law enforcement.

After thirty years in the Bay Area, the look of his family has changed. What remains constant is his love for the people who shape his life — his son, relatives back on the East Coast, his extended San Francisco family, and the lovers who consent to being part of his visual journey.

"Photography allows me to hold on to relationships and moments long after they have passed, preserving them before they slip away."