‘Fish-Work’ chronicles commercial fishing lifestyle
Imogen Gallery hosts reception, exhibition by photographer Corey Arnold
ASTORIA — Imogen Gal-
lery presents “Fish-Work,”
an exhibition by profession-
al artist and fisherman Co-
rey Arnold of Portland.
This is Arnold’s second
exhibition at Imogen, held
in conjunction with the 2016
FisherPoets Gathering, an
annual celebration of the
fishing community that of-
fers a glimpse into one of
the oldest industries through
stories and poetry written
and recited by fisher folk.
Kick off a full weekend of
scheduled events and learn
more about Arnold’s work,
both photographing and
fishing the waters of Alas-
ka and Northern Europe. All
are invited to attend a recep-
tion for Arnold and the Fish-
erPoets Gathering from 4 to
7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26. Light
bites and beverages will be
provided by Astoria Coffee-
house & Bistro. The exhibi-
tion will remain on display
through March 8. This year
there’ll be an added dimen-
sion to the weekend’s events
with Arnold projecting his
images onto exterior walls
of downtown buildings, near
established venues for the
event.
Arnold began fishing as
a boy, about the same time
he first picked up the cam-
era. What began as weekend
adventures with the family
quickly became a permanent
part of life, culminating into
a successful dual career, one
mutually supporting the oth-
er.
This exhibition will in-
clude photographs from the
ongoing series “Fish-Work,”
a lifelong project that chron-
icles the commercial fish-
ing lifestyle throughout the
world. Arnold began fishing
commercially in 1995 as a
deckhand aboard various
vessels and skiffs in Alaska.
His career as a photographer
has taken him from the wa-
ters of Alaska to Europe.
The images included in this
show are from more recent
trips working aboard pollock
and factory trawlers in the
Bering Sea, a multi-month
tour of European fisheries,
images from his seven years
spent on the deck of the crab-
ber F/V Rollo on the Bering
Sea, and Graveyard Point
Submitted photo
“Octopus” by Corey Arnold.
a seasonal salmon fishing
community in Bristol Bay,
Alaska, where Arnold cap-
tains a skiff every summer.
Arnold’s work is without
doubt a celebration of the
lifestyle of the fisherman.
He also hopes to convey a
broader message, raising
awareness to the challeng-
es that coastal communities
and the oceans are facing in
the 21st century. Through
his lens he captures the raw
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and rugged reality of hard
work, with brutal and honest
images that depict both dan-
ger and beauty, sometimes
in the same moment.
Arnold is not one, how-
ever, to overly romanticize;
he is critically aware of the
struggle of a rapidly chang-
ing global fishing industry.
“Serious threats to small-
scale fishing communities
include fleet consolidation
due to catch shares, poorly
managed fisheries abroad,
ocean acidification, fish
farming, and watershed de-
struction due to urban de-
velopment, mining and pol-
lution,” he says. “Closest to
home for me is the proposed
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12 | February 25, 2016 | coastweekend.com
Submitted photo
“Bound” by Corey Arnold.
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Pebble Mine in the headwa-
ters of Bristol Bay, Alaska.
Backed by billions of dol-
lars of foreign corporate in-
vestment, the Pebble Mine
could be one of the largest
open-pit copper mines in the
world placed in the richest
sockeye salmon watershed
on earth.”
Regardless of present
challenges and demands on
a struggling industry, Ar-
nold states: “Although it’s
important to be aware of the
challenges facing those who
work at sea, the most essen-
tial message of all comes
from the spirit of this way
of life. Whether we are land-
locked in the mountains, or
out on a boat at sea, the hard
work, passion, blood and
guts of this profession speak
to a vitality that I hope will
inspire the viewer on his/her
own personal journey.”
Arnold, who graduated
from the University of Art
Academy in San Francisco
has enjoyed a diverse and
exciting career. His series
“Fish-Work” was launched
after receiving a commission
from the PEW Charitable
Foundation, taking him to
Europe and photographing
from aboard fishing vessels
in eight European countries.
He has also been awarded
an American Scandinavian
Foundation grant, which
Submitted photo
“Billie and Seabird” by Corey Arnold.
lead to the documentation
of the work of fishermen in
northern Norway.
His work has been ex-
hibited in Portland, San
Francisco, Los Angeles,
Chicago and New York,
and published in Harpers,
The New Yorker, Rolling
Stone, Time, Outside, Na-
tional Geographic and The
Paris Review among oth-
ers. Arnold has published
two books of photography:
“Fish-Work: The Bering
Sea” and “Fishing with My
Dad.” He is represented by
Charles A. Hartman Fine Art
in Portland.
Imogen Gallery is locat-
ed at 240 11th St. For more
information, call 503-468-
0620 or visit www.imogen-
gallery.com