Daniel Ballesteros

Biography

Daniel Ballesteros (b. 1980) is a third-generation Filipino-American. He never felt like himself in the Southern-Midwest-Anglo culture in which he grew up and found a sense of belonging in nature. In his new series Gold Leaf Forest, Ballesteros draws a connection between his ancestor’s survival and the adaptability of redwoods, one of the oldest species on the planet. He creates composite images of these grandiose trees and then covers the background with gold leaf as a way to honor the redwoods and their intergenerational intelligence. Ballesteros is influenced by the use of gilding throughout art history and the Indigenous Filipino religion of Animism – the belief that all objects in nature have a spiritual essence and are animated by a life force.

Originally from St. Louis, Ballesteros lived and worked in Santa Fe, Chicago, and New York before relocating to Oakland, where he currently resides. He taught photography at the University of Connecticut and St. Joseph’s College in Brooklyn, NY. Ballesteros has been artist-in-residence at the Woodstock Center for Photography, the Camera Club of New York, Bose Pacia, The Luminary, and Kala Institute. His work has been acquired by corporate and private collections and public institutions.

All of these influences—my assimilation, my Catholic education, the many lives and spirits of the forest, and the history of the Philippines—have led me to this project. On one level the pictures speak to themes of immigration, survival, and family. On another they are about time, patience, and the power of community. —Daniel Ballesteros

Education
2007
MFA, Photography, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT

2001
BA, Photography, Webster University, St. Louis, MO

Solo Exhibitions
2021
Gold Leaf Forest, Richard Levy Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
Springtime at Pie Projects (two person), Richard Levy Gallery at Pie Projects, Santa Fe, NM

2019
Gold Leaf Trees, Richard Levy Gallery, Albuquerque, NM

2018
St. Louis is Liquid Gold…, May Gallery, Webster University, St. Louis, MO

2014
Arthur Batut Museum, La Bruguierre, France

2012
Midwest Filipino, Chashama 266, New York, NY
Midwest Filipino, Mariboe Gallery, Hightstown, NJ

2010
Travelogues, College of Southern Nevada Fine Arts Gallery
Travelogues, University of Indian at South Bend

2004
SEE, Hejfina Art and Architecture, Chicago, IL, November

Group Exhibitions
2020
2020 Vision, Richard Levy Gallery, Albuquerque, NM

2019
Kala Art Institute, Berkeley, CA

2017
DeCentered, WAS Gallery, Bethesda, MD

2015
Made In Woodstock VII, Center for Photography in Woodstock, NY

2014
Alternative Process Competition, SOHO Photo, New York, NY, November

2013
New Works Exhibition, En Foco, Bronx, New York

2012
6x6x2012, Rochester Center for Contemporary Art, Small Works Show

2011
Winter Salon Show, Greenpoint Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, January

2008
Magic Silver 2008, Eagle Art Gallery, Murray State University, Murray, KY

Official Juror’s Selection Prize, Juror: Joyce Tenneson

2007
A Collection of Similar Houses, Side Show Gallery, Brooklyn, NY

2004
Haunted, Artists Residency Chicago, Chicago, IL, November

Residencies
2020
Kala Institute, Emeryville, CA

2018
Kala Institute, Emeryville, CA

2014
Luminary Center for the Arts, St. Louis, MO
Camera Club of New York, Manhattan, NY

2013
Center for Photography at Woodstock, NY

2012
Bose Pacia Transparent Studio Program, Brooklyn, New York

Press Release
2021
Gold Leaf Forest at Richard Levy Gallery
Springtime at Pie Projects 

2020
2020 Vision at Richard Levy Gallery

2019
Gold Leaf Trees at Richard Levy Gallery