As a large man, Kersels often creates work that addresses his imposing physical presence. He examines stereotypes associated with his gendered body size—clumsy, pathetic, dangerous. These staged photographs play into those stereotypes about awkwardness, while the precision of the staging can be seen to contradict this interpretation (Walk Ways catalog, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art).

Physicality permeates Kersels’ work. He uses himself as a subject to express the emotions we share simply by being corporeal. One such emotion is vulnerability, which Kersels exposes in photographic series that capture him tripping, falling, or riding a bicycle that is too small for his frame. As human beings, we share the embarrassment of falling in public or watching someone else trip. However, Kersels’ Tripping series shows us exactly that: the moments that embarrass us. The artist photographed himself tripping on public sidewalks in populated areas and in broad daylight. Tripping emphasizes Kersels’ desire to connect with others by revealing himself in an embarrassing, yet staged, moment

• Sources: Walk Ways catalog, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.