HG Contemporary is proud to present the upcoming exhibition of the late artist and activist Dan Eldon – globally recognized for his stunning collages and photojournalism at HG Contemporary in NYC. The show will include a number of original works by Dan Eldon in addition to works by several artists including; Damian Sequeiors, Alexandra Grounds, & Domingo Zapata, who have been directly inspired by Eldon’s important work and mission.
Dan Eldon’s richly layered collages and haunting photos of famine and war in Somalia have inspired individuals around the world since his death in 1993. Now, 25 years later, HG Contemporary, in collaboration with Creative Visions and Trotta-Bono Contemporary, will honour Eldon’s legacy with a one-of-a-kind exhibition, presenting 19 of the artist’s limited edition prints alongside a number of works from three artists who were directly influenced by Eldon’s life and mission. The exhibit opens on September 6th and runs through October 1st 2018.
Dan Eldon was born in England but moved to Kenya at the age of seven with his British father and an American mother. The African continent, as well as travels to 46 countries, providing rich content for Eldon, who captured his experiences in a collection of 17 bulging journals, packed with drawings, photographs and artifacts.
In 1991, Eldon, 22, was the first to create awareness of a famine in Somalia, and his photos helped trigger an international relief mission, Operation Restore Hope, that saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of starving Somalis. For the next year, Eldon returned to Somalia as the youngest Reuters photojournalist to document the descent of the country into a bloody civil war for global outlets including Time, Newsweek and international newspapers. On July 12th, 1993, a misguided attack on a house a warlord was said to be hiding by US Marines left more than 200 Somalis dead or wounded. Survivors rushed to the journalists’ hotel to beg them to film the carnage. In the ensuing chaos, Eldon and three of his colleagues were beaten or stoned to death by an angry mob.
Soon after, his family discovered Dan’s journals, which were discovered by Chronicle Books, and featured in Chronicle Books’ best-selling collection, The Journey is the Destination: The Journals of Dan Eldon (recently re-released with a foreword by Kweku Mandela). Eldon’s art has inspired countless and is in many prestigious private collections, including those of Diana Rockefeller, Bruce Weber, Madonna, Julia Roberts, Christiane Amanpour, Rosie O’Donnell, among others.
Dan’s extraordinary life is portrayed in the feature film The Journey is the Destination, produced by Kweku Mandela and directed by Bronwen Hughes, currently available on Netflix and all VOD platforms. HG Contemporary is excited to present the works of Dan Eldon and artists who have been inspired by his spirit. A portion of the profits will support the work of Creative Visions, a 501c3 organization inspired by Dan Eldon that nurtures creative activists who use arts and media for social impact.