Hello. I’m Daniel, a photographic artist and non-profit Director working across the arts & health sector.

I specialise in exploring complex and difficult emotional experiences, focusing on the transformational impact of arts on mental health, building on my own lived experience. My photographic work focuses on themes of wellbeing and brokers dialogue around often taboo topics.

As a part of my practice I also shoot commissions, run socially engaged projects and provide consultancy. I regularly exhibit and speak at events across fine art, educational and clinical institutions in the UK and worldwide.

I’m the Executive Director of the Arts & Health Hub, a not-for-profit organisation that supports artists that work in the arts and health sector. I founded this network in 2015 as a way to support artists working in the sector but feel that they have little support or connection to other peers. My particular interest and focus is on practitioner support for artists with lived experience of mental health difficulties. The organisation now has approximately 700 members.

For five years I worked in primary care as the Artistic Director of the Free Space Project, a pioneering arts and wellbeing charity embedded into primary care in the NHS. I led on the strategic development and programming of a large number of arts and community initiatives available to over 30,000 patients across a primary care network and local residents in the borough of Camden. This involved working with diverse patient groups such as those living with Parkinson’s, mental health difficulties and affected by stroke.

I’m represented by Bethlem Gallery in London.

I’m based in and have a studio in south east London.

Education

2012 — 2013: MA Photography — London College of Communication

2003 — 2006: BA Photography — University of Brighton

Work

For the past fifteen years I’ve worked as a freelance artist across fine art, clinical and community organisations. Below are some of my selected clients:

Recent Exhibition History (selected)

Solo Exhibitions:

Mother, Ort Gallery, Birmingham, 2019
I Want to Live, Exposure Gallery, London, 2018
I Want to Live, Free Space Project, London, 2018
Be Here, Now (with Antonia Attwood), Riverlights, FORMAT Photography Festival, Derby, 2017 Alopecia Uncovered, Brighton & Sussex Medical School, Brighton, 2016
Fragmentary, Free Space Gallery, Kentish Town Health Centre, London, 2015
Bald & Bold, Free Space Gallery, Kentish Town Health Centre, London, 2014
The Alopecia Project, World Congress for Hair Research, Edinburgh 2013
Crowning Glory, Strathclyde University, Glasgow 2013
Headism, NL Gallery, London, May 2011

Group Exhibitions:

HOOKED! Science Gallery London, London, 2018
Our Future Likes, Bethlem Gallery, London, 2018
IN/DI/VISIBLE, Bethlem Gallery, London, 2018
More Than an Image, WEX Photo Video, London, 2017
Visualising the Home, Carlisle Photo Festival, Carlisle, 2017
XX, Bethlem Gallery, London, 2017
Traces, Kentish Town Health Centre, London, 2017
Journeys, Institute of Mental Health, Nottingham, 2016
Offprint Photobook Festival, Tate Modern, London, 2016
Dark Side of Light Night, Liverpool Light Night festival, Liverpool, 2016
Letting In The Light, Stratford (public lightbox installation), London, 2016
Trees of the Brain, Roots of the Mind, The Depot (for Photomonth), London, 2015 Offprint Photobook Festival, Tate Modern, London, 2015
Summer Exhibition, Highgate Mental Health Centre, London, 2015 Evidence of Being, Hundred Years Gallery, London, 2014
Evolving in Conversation, Brighton Photo Biennial, Brighton, 2014
Escape, Young Photographers’ Association, New York, 2014
MAP13 Graduate Show, London College of Communication, London, 2013 Photographic Images Changing Society, Box Park & Rich Mix, London, 2013 Uncovered, Frameless Gallery, London, 2012
Material Matters, Courtauld Institute Somerset House, London 2012-2013

Residencies

Commission by QUAD (for FORMAT photography festival 2017), Derby, June 2016 — March 2017 Artist in residence at Kentish Town Health Centre, London, August 2014 —Jan 2015
Artist in residence community project, Oviñana, Asturias, Spain, April 2014 — Sept 2014

Workshops / Community Projects / Facilitation

I have a wealth of experiencing in both devising and facilitating both singular and longer programmes of workshops. I have worked with a multitude of vulnerable groups such as those with mental health difficulties, people experiencing homelessness, suicide survivors, young people on the autism spectrum and the elderly. Find out more here.

Panel Discussions / Talks / Events

Supporting the People that Matter, Peckham24, London, 2021
CHWA National Conference, A Culture of Care, 2021
Mutual Support, International Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance Conference, London, 2021
Strengthening BAME inclusion in arts & health, Race Equality Network, London, 2021
Museum Collections on Prescription: Health, Wellbeing and Inclusivity, National Gallery, London, 2021
The Therapeutic Potential of Photography, British Journal of Photography, London, 2021
Panel Talk on LGBT+ Mental Health and Wellbeing, Kings College London, London, 2021
LIFE. DEATH. WHATEVER, Linden House, London, 2018
I Want to Live, Bethlem Museum of the Mind, London, 2018
I Want to Live, Free Space Project, London, 2018
PhotoForum, theprintspace, London, 2018
Rooted in the Landscape Symposium, Paintings in Hospitals, Kings College, London, 2018
In Conversation: Diversity and the Archive, Bethlem Gallery, London, 2018
Creativity & Mental Health, Ravensbourne University, London, 2018
Looking for Peace Symposium, Attenborough Arts Centre, Leicester, 2018
Art and Mental Health Forum, University of the Arts, London, 2017
InPractice, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2017
Be Here, Now for FORMAT Festival, Riverlights, Derby, 2017
Man Up Man Down: masculinity, mental health & self-advocacy, Cooltan Arts, London, 2017 Alopecia Uncovered, Brighton & Sussex Medical School, 2016
Critical Voices conference (keynote speaker), Tunbridge Wells, 2016
Fragmentary (solo artist talk), The Artworks, London, 2016
Lenses of Croydon (solo artist talk), CVA Resource Centre, London, 2016
Metamorphosis, Hotel Elephant, London, 2016
Fragmentary Presents: Artist Talks, Kentish Town Health Centre, London, 2015
Creative Symposium, University of the Arts CSM, London, 2015
Alopecia Uncovered: The Power of the Portrait (solo artist talk), Alopecia UK, London, 2015 Photo Forum, Calumet, London, 2014
Control of the Frame: Power, Representation & Identity in Photography, London Art Fair, 2014

Awards

Therapeutic Photography: Honorable Mention, Perugia Social Photo Festival, Italy, 2018
Building Better Healthcare Awards: Patient’s Choice Award, 2016
Building Better Healthcare Awards: Best Collaborative Arts Project (highly commended), 2016
The NCVO & PhotoVoice’s winning award for a professional photographer, 2016