VCU’S Anderson Gallery to offer exhibition by Thomas Daniel

By Lissette Linares

RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Commonwealth University will offer Thomas Daniel: Into My Eyes, the first comprehensive museum exhibition of works by renowned photographer Thomas Daniel, Jan. 14-Feb. 27 at the Anderson Gallery, 907 ½ W. Franklin St. The exhibition is co-curated by Anderson Gallery Director Ted Potter and New York critic and poet John Yau.

Spanning more than 25 years, the mid-career exhibition includes a collection of 80 black and white 16"x20" framed images tracking major themes pursued by the artist. The exhibition explores Daniel’s vision and curiosity through works, including photos taken during three tours as a combat photographer in Vietnam and photos of Yoruba practitioners of rural North Carolina, Daughters of the Confederacy and German World War II veterans.

"Each of Daniel’s series is self-contained and self-sufficient," Yau said. "Working in black and white film which he prints himself, Daniel possesses a formal mastery which he brings to bear on little-known subjects and areas of American life."

A Richmond resident, Daniel’s first experience as a photographer came when he enlisted in the Army and was stationed in Vietnam. Shortly after arriving there, he purchased a 35 mm camera and began documenting and recording the people and events that surrounded him. Halfway through his third tour, Daniel was selected to be his unit’s combat photographer.

After serving in the military, Daniel attended classes in Chowan College in North Carolina for one semester and then transferred to VCU. He has traveled extensively in the United States, and in particular, the Southeastern region, documenting what he considers interesting events and people.

As seen in the Into My Eyes collection, Daniel relies solely on natural light and settings for his portraits as opposed to artificial lighting and theatrical poses. He also attempts to include the viewer in his images by capturing subjects and events from unique angles and vantagepoints, similar to what viewers would see if they were actually there.

Daniel’s work has won numerous awards and has been shown in group and solo exhibitions nationally and internationally. He is the only Virginia artist to have received four Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Senior Artists Fellowships.

"In the vernacular of his native South, Tom Daniel is as resourceful and as sensitive to the human condition as any artist the Anderson Gallery has ever presented," Potter said.

The VCU Anderson Gallery will offer a fully illustrated catalogue of the exhibition, which will be distributed nationally and internationally by the University of Washington Press. The publication will feature essays by Yau and Potter and a biography and interview with Daniel.

The Into My Eyes exhibition opening will be held Jan. 14, 7-9 p.m., at the gallery. Admission is free and open to the public. Daniel and Yau also will offer a walk-through of the exhibition, as well as a book signing and reception on Jan. 15 at 2 p.m. For more information about this and other exhibitions, call 828-1522.

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