June 9 – July 3, 2022
Artist Reception 12 June, 2022 4 to 6pm
Online Artist Talk 21 June, 2022 7 to 8.30pm
While I generally prefer that viewers seek their own meaning in my work, I also acknowledge an individual’s need to understand my personal concept for a series. The images in the Hidden In Plain View series are based on highly personal subject matter. Therefore, it is more difficult for me to discuss than most others. However, once I made the commitment to create and share this body of work I knew that discussions would surely follow. The work is not intended to be a self-portrait, but it is somewhat self-revelatory. Although the images have a haunting beauty, there certainly is an underlying story among them that was the impetus for developing this work. Sadly, it is a dark story that many others may know from their own life experiences. To say it as concisely as I am able, this series is my attempt to put into a visual context some intimate personal history marred by childhood physical and sexual abuse—years of it—that affected my entire nuclear family. And—the residual and recurrent psychological trauma of feeling isolated, vulnerable and damaged that lingers throughout a victim’s lifetime. The life-long emotional scars are not always easily observed by others, but are ever present. At the same time, it references the power of our human connection with nature, which can help to protect us and heal us, if we allow it to do so. It certainly has been quite pivotal in my own life story—and in much of my art. I have used human sculptural forms in this work rather than self-portraiture to represent the many different victims of abuse and trauma that walk among us. Although I initially had a considerable amount of anxiety about putting this work and this very personal story out into the world, it has been so warmly embraced and respected that I know without a doubt it was time for it to be shared at last.
About Donna Dangott
D.Dangott is recognized as an emerging American photographic and mixed media artist. She has exhibited her work extensively across the US and in Canada. The imaginative and sometimes haunting images she creates explore many different themes. The works range from realistic to the surreal, often blurring the line between fact and fiction. Her award-winning imagery weaves together elements of our tangible external physical environment with our less tangible but equally relevant internal psychological realm. She has developed a unique style which combines her experience as a biological illustrator, graphic designer, and of course, as a photographer. She received her BFA in Photography from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN in 1988. Her works reside in many private, public and corporate collections.
