Summer 2016
Silver Eye Center for Photography
Daniel Coburn’s solo exhibition The Hereditary Estate explores the dark undercurrent of the artist's’ family history through a series of lyrical and mysterious photographs. These images are deeply personal, yet moving and accessible. Coburn was a young adult when his parents revealed their family history—one that is haunted by tragic events related to suicide, domestic violence, mental illness, and substance abuse. Coburn was disturbed when he realized that a lot of family members and events had been erased from his family album. He set out to rewrite the family narrative through a series of photographs that he made, collected, and manipulated.
Participating Artist
Daniel Coburn’s work investigates the family photo album and uses it as a metaphor for the flawed ideals of the American Dream.In 2017, Coburn received a Guggenheim Fellowship and his work is in the collections of several institutions including the Museum of Contemporary Photography, the University of New Mexico Art Museum, and the Mulvane Art Museum.