Daniel Valencia Photography
1st generation Mexican-American artist using photography as a method of communication.
Born and raised in San Jose, CA.
Currently working throughout the Bay Area.
Daniel Valencia is a self-taught photographer who practices traditional black and white techniques in a dark room. He was born in San Jose, CA and raised in Seven Trees, San Jose by his Mexican mother who immigrated to California. Seven Trees was its own unincorporated city, surrounded by South San Jose, and was not recognized as a part of San Jose until it was annexed in 2009. Growing up with no designated police force, city officials, or governing authority in the area, Daniel chose a skateboard and a camera as his way of observing, documenting, and processing the mayhem around him.
He started seriously documenting his community, the street culture, and the children in his neighborhood in 2009 with his series Seven Trees. The series captured the attention of the arts community in San Jose and was exhibited in galleries such as De-Bug and Metro Newspaper’s Metro Gallery. In 2011 he received the Downtown Doors award, granting him the opportunity to display larger than life photos on the doors of multiple businesses and public spaces in San Jose’s downtown area. The Downtown Doors were also accompanied with a one-day show at the San Jose Museum of Art. During this time in San Jose, Daniel worked as an apprentice to Jai Tanju, the owner of Seeing Things Gallery. Here he learned the business of operating a gallery and realized his love for curating.
In 2014, Daniel moved to San Francisco to further cultivate his passion for photography. He worked as a darkroom technician at Rayko Photo Center for three years before they closed to the public in 2017. At Rayko he started exploring his current techniques of physically manipulating photo negatives, as well as mural sized darkroom printing. He has worked as an assistant curator at Book and Job Gallery and was also a photographer for the political printmaking collective the San Francisco Poster Syndicate for 4 years.
As of 2020, Daniel has been working as a freelance photographer & art director, notably working for artists under the record labels such as Audio Vandals, Solidarity Records, and Hieroglyphics Imperium.
Collections:
- Mills Museum of Art Permanent Collection, Oakland, CA.
- San Francisco Public Library Special Collections, San Francisco, CA.
- Labor Archive at San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA.
- UC Berkeley Bancroft Library, Berkeley, CA.
- University of California Santa Cruz Special Collections, Santa Cruz, CA.
Curriculum Vitae
2021
- RVCA SF, San Francisco: “Sun Night Editions Print Showcase” August 6, 2021
- Mills College Art Museum, Oakland: “Artist Talk” January 27th, 2021
2020
- Mills College Art Museum, Oakland: “Shifting Perspectives: Como Los Gigantes Que Seguimos” December 2nd, 2020 - March 7th, 2021
- Nighted Life Issue 17, Featuring The Series “Last S.F. Exit” November 16th, 2020
- Book & Job Gallery, San Francisco: “The People’s Bulletin” (Curated) September 5th, 2020
- Alma Rosae: “Juice” June 7th, 2020
- Professa Gable & Baghead for Audio Vandals: “My Room Needs New Lightbulbs” (album design & photography)
February 28th, 2020
- La Brigada De La Cumbia: “SXSW” February 19th, 2020
2019
- Book & Job Gallery, San Francisco: “El Mar De Canela” (Curated) December 5th, 2019
- The Women of the Resistance Portfolio 2019
- Alley Cat Books, San Francisco: “SF Poster Syndicate & The WOTR Mural Present: The Women of the Resistance Portfolio” September 7th, 2019
- Arion Press, San Francisco: “Open Book Show 6” August 3rd, 2019
- 1AM Gallery, San Francisco: “Adidas: The Showcase” March 29th, 2019
- Oakland Asian Cultural Center, Oakland: “SF Poster Syndicate: Immigration Emergency; In Defense & Defiance” March 9th, 2019
2018
- Book & Job Gallery, San Francisco: “Illetante Vol. 3 Release Show” December 14th, 2018
- 111 Minna Gallery, San Francisco: "A.O.S. Benefit for Sexual Abuse and Trafficking" (group show) August 4th, 2018
- illetante, San Francisco: "illetante VOL. 3" (publisher) July 20th, 2018
- Professa Gabel: OUCH" (album design & artwork) July 8th, 2018
- Anno Domini Gallery, San Jose: "Film Por Vida/Print Exchange Program" (group show) June 1st, 2018
- Tokyo CultuArt by BEAMS, Tokyo: "A Hero With A Thousand Words - Carson Lancaster & Daniel Valencia" February 23rd, 2018
2017
- Incline Gallery, San Francisco: "7 Years of Incline" (group show) December 8th, 2017
- Equipto: "The Upkeep" (Album Artwork) November 7th, 2017
- El Tecolote, San Francisco: "Veteran SF rapper has music, activism running through his veins." (editorial) November 2nd, 2017
- The Infinity SF, San Francisco: "Book & Job 4 Month Residency" (photography exhibition) August 10th, 2017
- Book & Job, San Francisco: "5 Year Anniversary" (photography exhibition) July 15th, 2017
- Book & Job, San Francisco: "6 Takes On Tokyo" (photography exhibition)
- Samy's Camera, San Francisco: "Sentimiento" May 18th, 2017 (photography exhibition)
- Rainbow Soko Warehouse, Tokyo: "San Francisco" (photography exhibition) March 31st, 2017
- MACLA, San Jose: "Latino Art Now!" (art show) April 7th, 2017
- Chrome Industries SF Valencia HUB, SF: "Daily Survival" (art show) March 10th, 2017
- Book & Job Gallery, SF: Curated "Red Roses" (Photography exhibition) March 2nd, 2017
- Rayko Photo Center, San Francisco: "Rayko's 10th Annual International Juried Plastic Camera Show" (photography exhibition) March 1st, 2017
2016
- Glass Rice, SF: Curated "Living Room" (art show) October 22nd, 2016
- Book & Job Gallery, SF: "The Indecisive Moment" (photography exhibition) September 1st, 2016
- Good Mother Gallery, Oakland: "Reconstruct" (art show) August 13th, 2016
- Book & Job Gallery, SF: "Four Years Later" (art show) July 16th, 2016
- Gallery Del Grotto, SF: "Y No Nos Vamos" (art show) April 1st, 2016
2015
- Good Mother Gallery, Oakland "Fragmented" (art show) October 10, 2015
- Jenkem Magazine "An Interview with Wallenberg..." (publication) August 27, 2015
- Magic Hollow, New Zealand: MH Club Issue 1 (publication) 2015
- Doomed Gallery, London: Zines of the World (art show) July 23, 2015
2014
- Sundays NYC feature (publication)2014
- RVL Clothing Lookbook 2014
- Hi-5 FIlm Festival, Oakland (art show) 2014
- Red Bull: Anya Kvitka EP March Madness 2014
- Purist SF Clothing Summer Look Book 2014
2013
- The Skateboard Magazine December issue (publication) 2013
- Seeing Things Gallery, San Jose: "Into The Blue" (photography) 2013
- Desillusion Magazine, France (publication) 2013
- Seeing Things Gallery, San Jose: "Second Time's The Charm" 2013
- Purple Diary: Aaron Frisby's "Here She Comes..." (With guest artist Brad Hayes) Seeing Things Gallery (NYC-France publication 2013)
- Content Magazine SubZERO fashion show 2013
- Content Magazine: photo shoot featuring Seeing Things Gallery 2013
- Hamburger Eyes Zine Buffet Show 2013
- Cinequest Film Festival Photojournalist 2013
- Solo exhibition "Seven Trees" at the Metro Gallery, San Jose (April 5th, 2013)
- People Show: Collab. show with Edgar Godinez and Ruben Juarez at Silicon Valley Debug, Feb. 2013
2012
- The Art Museum of Los Gatos: Social Matters 2012
2010
- Confusion Skate Magazine - Editorial Germany 2010
2009
- Skidmark Skate Magazine - Editorial 2009-2011