About Neil Kohl

I am a documentary photographer based in Philadelphia. In past years I’ve concentrated on providing high quality photography for social justice organizations that would not have otherwise been able to afford it. My personal work is done primarily on film, a medium I’ve been captivated by since I was a child. I’ve been a member of the Philadelphia-based Gravy co-op since 2016,working to promote the medium of photography through shows, workshops, and an annual photo festival.

Artist Statement

Inspired by a similar parade in Portland, The Philadelphia Krampuslauf was started in 2011 by a local artist as a scary counterpoint to the relentlessly cheerful and saccharine Christmas season. The Krampus is a horned, cloven-hooved, devilish creature from Alpine mythology. It’s the anti-Santa that carries away bad children in the basket on its back. Krampus parades -Krampuslaufs- happen every December in cities in Austria and Bavaria.

After a few years the costumes represented in the parade had gone well beyond Krampus to include the scary winter creatures from many cultures and from participant’s imaginations. The name was changed to Parade of Spirits to acknowledge this.

I prefer to photograph projects over time, returning again and again to document changes and to try different approaches, then editing the body of work around themes. In the first years I had documented the parade strictly as spectacle, but I also wanted to look more closely at individual participants. Starting in 2015 I set up a portable large format portrait studio to capture the people and their costumes outside of the context of the larger parade.

Wesbite: www.kohlweb.com

New Brunswick Art Salon 2025 – Photography: “Beyond the Image: Unveiling Hidden Narratives”

Solo Exhibitions

  • 2019 – Bread & Puppet, Random Tea Room, Random Tea Room, 713 N 4th St. April 11th – May 30th 2019.
  • 2016 – Parade of Spirits: Portraits, Gravy Studio, 910 N 2nd St., December 2, 2016 – January 12, 2017.
  • 2015 – Parade of Spirits: Photographs of Philadelphia Krampuslauf, Random Tea Room, 713 N 4th St., February – March 2015.

Group Exhibitions

  • 2024 – An image from the series Parade of Spirits: Portraits at Film Gallery Showcase, jurors Caleb Shelton and Todd Lauther. Unique Photo, 28 S 2nd St, Philadelphia. Opened September 6, 2024. Honorable mention.
  • 2024 – An image from the 2022 Bans off our Bodies demonstration at This Is Photography, jurors Jason Chen and Katie Tackman. Unique Photo, 28 S 2nd St, Philadelphia, April 4 – June 1, 2024.
  • 2024 – An image from the 1987 March on Washington for Gay & Lesbian Rights at American Slog, curated by Katie Tackman. Lot 49 Books, 408 E Girard Ave., Philadelphia, March 1 – 30, 2024.
  • 2018 – A portrait from the series Parade of Spirits: Portraits at Open Juried Exhibition, juror Shane Lavalette. Vermont Center for Photography, 49 Flat Street, Brattleboro, VT, March 2 – April 1, 2018.
  • 2018 – An installation of images from Chrome, Glass and Leather at Poetics of Place, group show at Gravy Studio, 910 N 2nd St., Phila PA, February 2 – 17, 2018.
  • 2017 – An installation of images from Chrome, Glass and Leather at Poetics of Place, Satellite Art Show, Miami FL., December 7 – 10, 2017.
  • 2015 – A piece from the series Descent at Onward 2015 at Project Basho, juror: Elinor Carucci. Opened March 14th, 2015.
  • 2014 – A piece from the series Descent at Onward 2014 at Project Basho. Juror: Andrew Moore. Opened in March, 2014.
  • 2014 – Several images of the Krampuslauf in Parade of Spirits, a group show at iMPeRFeCTGallery, from January through February 2014, and also in the book.

Publications

  • 2018 – Somerton, a zine drawn from photographs taken in Northeast Philadelphia in the 80s.
  • 2017 – Chrome glass & leather book, edition of 5, available through the Gravy Store.
  • 2014 – Several images of the Krampuslauf in Parade of Spirits 2013, a book accompanying the show at iMPeRFeCT Gallery