Binh Danh
Reflections in Black by Deborah Willis, from the series “On Photography,“, 2020
Estimated Value: $12,000

Daguerreotype
12 x 10 inches
Unique
Signed, on label
Donated by the artist, courtesy of Haines Gallery.
Custom frame donated by Sterling Art Services.

"On Photography" is a series of daguerreotypes meditating on books and keepsakes related to the subject of photography. I have borrowed the title from Susan Sontag's essay collection of the same name, published in 1977—the year I was born.

Twenty-three years later, at the turn of the century (2000), author and educator Dr. Deborah Willis published Reflections in Black: A History of Black Photographers, 1840 to the Present. We are now in the year 2020, amid a pandemic, an election year, and social movements fighting against police violence towards Black people. Throughout history, photography has played a role in racial hierarchy, but photography can also dismantle entrenched ideas of White Hegemony. Within this context, my new daguerreotype, "Reflections in Black,” asks us to see ourselves as intersections of each other's histories, and as part of Black life.

About the Artist:
Binh Danh

Binh Danh reconfigures traditional photographic techniques and processes in unconventional ways to delve into the connection between history, identity, and place. As a child who immigrated to the US from war-torn Vietnam in 1979, the memories and trauma of his diasporic experience serve as the foundation for his investigative practice.

In his highly acclaimed series of chlorophyll prints, Danh uses photosynthesis to print portraits from the Vietnam War era directly onto the surfaces of leaves. He is also noted for his contemporary daguerreotypes of the US National Parks. Using a 19th century format for decidedly contemporary aims, Danh imbues the scenery with his own immigrant experience. The daguerreotypes’ highly reflective surfaces literally mirror their surroundings, inviting viewers into the idyllic environs they depict. 

Danh’s work has been exhibited and collected by leading institutions, including the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, CA; de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA; Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, IL; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA; Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA; George Eastman Museum, Rochester, NY; and San Jose Museum of Art, CA.

Website: binhdanh.com | hainesgallery.com
Instagram: @binhtdanh | @hainesgallery
Twitter: @binhtdanh | @hainesgallery