Daniel W. Coburn
(American, b. 1976; resides in Lawrence, KS)
In his series, Next of Kin, (2012-2013), Daniel Coburn grapples with the complexities of growing up in a suburban Evangelical family and a loss of faith in the institutions of family and religion. Coburn’s staged portraits are an attempt to find catharsis with his troubled upbringing. He uses his family as a model to examine the psychological trauma that can come from growing up in dystopian suburbia, a place where the ideals of the American Dream--a promise that opportunity and upward social mobility will come from hard work--are not quite realized. Coburn’s confrontational portraits move beyond a personal narrative and address a larger, more visceral and universal experience: that of struggling with understanding one’s flawed family in the context of an idealized American experience.
Daniel Coburn completed his BFA from Washburn University (2009) and his MFA from the University of New Mexico (2013). His work has been shown nationally and internationally, including: The International Photography Festival of Belo Horizonte, Brazil (2013); The University of New Mexico Art Museum (2013); The Mulvane Museum of Art, Topeka, KS (2012); The Chelsea Art Museum, New York, NY (2011) and the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art, St. Joseph, MO (2010). His work is held in public and private collections, including: The Mulvane Museum of Art, The Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art, The Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art, The Moraine Park Museum and the University of New Mexico Art Museum. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Photo Media at the University of Kansas.
Mom's Clutch, 2011
Mourning, 2011
Mom As Martyr, 2012
Singed, 2013