Photo essay: The best of the 2022 FRONT Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art

We're halfway through the 2022 FRONT International Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art—the summer-long arts festival that occurs every three years in Cleveland, Akron, and Oberlin—and already visitors are talking about how the innovative and creative work with the theme theme "Oh, Gods of Dust and Rainbows" is making an impact at 30 sites in three Northeast Ohio cities. 

While COVID-19 delayed FRONT in 2021, organizers used the time to build momentum for the much-anticipated event, which features 100 world renowned artists working in a variety of media—coming together to interpret the Langston Hughes-inspired theme "Oh, Gods of Dust and Rainbows."

With almost six weeks passed since FRONT opened on July 16, and a little under six weeks until the Oct. 2 closing, FreshWater managing photographer Bob Perkoski has scoped out the exhibits in all three Northeast Ohio cities—from all points in Cleveland, to Akron, to Oberlin—to capture the inspiration, talent, and pride this year's creatives have put into the 2022 installment. If you haven't been out to any of the sites, see what you're missing.

Bob Perkoski
Bob Perkoski

About the Author: Bob Perkoski

Bob is managing photographer with FreshWater as well as a Cleveland freelance photographer. His photographic approach is rooted in the art of storytelling. Whether freezing the energy of an event, encapsulating the magic of a performance, or astutely anticipating the decisive moments, his work displays an innate ability to distill the essence of any scene or subject into a single frame or series of work. In addition, Bob is the official photographer for LAND studio and Holden Forest and Gardens and has worked with various Cleveland organizations. In 2019 he published a book of his photos Rust Belt Burlesque. He's had work published in other books like LGBTQ Cleveland by Ken Schneck, Rust Belt Chic: The Cleveland Anthology, Rust Belt Chic: The Pittsburgh Anthology and Moon Cleveland by Douglas Trattner. Previously he was co-founder/art director for Balanced Living Magazine. You can view his versatile portfolio of work, which includes news coverage, portraiture, architectural and fine art at Perkoski Photography. Originally from Conneaut, Ohio, Perkoski now lives close to the city in Parma. He has been Fresh Water's managing photographer since the publication's September 2010 inception.