Our friend Daniel Terna (b. Brooklyn, NY) is killing it in New York. We have featured him on the website before, and we had the opportunity to print his work in Aint–Bad No. 9 From Here On. He has participated in select group exhibitions at MoMA PS1 (NYC); the International Center of Photography (NYC); Foley Gallery (NYC); Baxter St. Camera Club of NY (NYC); New Wight Biennial (UCLA, Los Angeles); BRIC Arts Media Biennial (Brooklyn, NY); New York Film Festival (NYC); Eyebeam (NYC); Museum of the City of New York (NYC); The Wild Project (NYC); the Carpenter Center for Visual Arts (Cambridge, MA); Armory Center for the Arts (Pasadena, CA); Contemporary Arts Center (New Orleans, LA); and Gallery Tayuta (Tokyo, JP). Terna was a resident in the Collaborative Fellowship Program at UnionDocs, Brooklyn, and was awarded the Cuts and Burns Residency at Outpost Artist Resources in Ridgewood, NY. Terna graduated with a BA in photography from Bard College and received his MFA from the International Center of Photography-Bard. He runs and co-curates 321 Gallery, Brooklyn. Today we are excited to share a selection of images that Daniel has made in light of recent political events in the country.
Side note : Every time we publish imagery or text that is politically charged, people start yelling and crying as if they assumed we were a conservative photography publication. If we mention the election in our newsletters, people unsubscribe and send angry responses back to us. Let the record show that we are not pleased with the results of the last four months of political drama that has dominated the news cycle. The American people are expressing frustration across the country for a reason. We hope that things change for the better. We are dedicated to sharing images of these current events in order to document these times as a record in American history.
I drove down to the DC area on Thursday night with my mom. Early next morning, I took the metro into the city, and I was surprised at how empty the train car was. I had no idea what to expect once I got out, like how big the crowds would be, or if Trump supporters would act aggressively or question my intentions (I’m Latino and have a beard). I felt a bit like a spy and even felt some guilt when I passed the protestors outside checkpoints. I found an entry and went through security with several supporters. I was in DC for Obama’s inauguration, and it was so crowded that you couldn’t move, but once I got through the checkpoints, I was surprised to see how empty the mall was. Aside from a few looks, I never experienced any sort of animosity. The ceremony went by very quickly, and before I knew it, Trump was being sworn in and everyone was cheering. People began leaving and I watched the journalists interview families and I looked up when Marine One fly over with Obama inside. There was a long break before the parade began, and people milled about and found positions along the barricades to get a glimpse of Trump and his family. I walked around and absorbed the unusual moment of emptiness, and I shot a bunch of tour buses and fences and I kept being drawn to all the Trump merchandise.
I couldn’t help but associate the red Make America Great Again hats with the Brownshirts of the Nazi Party. The parade started an hour late and eventually the motorcade of limousines inched down the street. I couldn’t make out any faces in the cars, but I saw a little hand waving out one of the windows. I was reminded of when I photographed Pope Francis’ visit to NYC, with everyone dedicated and hanging around forever, waiting for a tiny glimpse of a guy in a car. After it was over, people headed to their buses and inaugural balls. Night came and I thought about leaving but I kept finding all these symbols for the new era, like the red and white Trump flags that reminded me of swastikas, the Boy Scout kid that looked like a Brownshirt, and the tacky opulence of hotel facades.
To view more of Daniel’s work, visit his website.