Dana Lixenberg is known for her stripped-down portraits that revel in the elemental characteristics of her subjects. She uses a large-format field camera – a cumbersome tool, which necessitates what the artist refers to as a ‘slow dance’ between her and her subjects. The resulting portraits contain an enormous amount of detail and texture, and are as revelatory as a personal encounter. The power of the work arises from its intimacy, compositional rigor and, importantly, the absence of social stereotyping. Lixenberg has been predominantly active in the United States, and her thorough understanding of the country and its society seeps through palpably in her work.
Besides her extensive editorial practice, for which she photographed many cultural icons, she pursues long-term projects with a primary focus on marginalized communities. These projects include Jeffersonville, Indiana (2005), a collection of landscapes and portraits of a small town’s homeless population and The Last Days of Shishmaref (2008), which portrays an Inupiaq community on an eroding island off the coast of Alaska. Lixenberg’s most extensive body of work to date is Imperial Courts, 1993-2015 (2015), which she begun in the aftermath of the 1992 Rodney King riots. Spanning 22 years, the project tracks the changing shape of an underserved community in Watts, Los Angeles. In contrast to the often one dimensional, sensationalized media coverage of this neighborhood, Lixenberg employs a more subdued and collaborative photographic approach. Like her other projects, Imperial Courts consists of a series of photographs and a publication. Exploring other media for the first time, Lixenberg also included audio recordings and created a three-channel video installation. The project was awarded the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize in 2017 and continues to be exhibited internationally.
Dana Lixenberg is based in Amsterdam (NL). She studied photography at the London College of Printing from 1984 to 1986, and at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam from 1987 until 1989. Her work is collected widely and has been exhibited at institutions such as Aperture Foundation, New York (US); Mai Manó Ház, Budapest (HU); Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (NL); Centre Photographique, Rouen (FR); MMK, Frankfurt am Main (DE); The Photographers’ Gallery, London (UK); Busan Biennale (KR); Huis Marseille, Amsterdam (NL); LACP, Los Angeles (US); and Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (NL).
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Dana Lixenberg’s portraits of rap icons and folk heroes puncture the veneer of stardom
Alex Hodor-Lee, Document Journal, February 25, 2020 -
Photographing Tupac, Biggie, and Everything in Between
Stephen Hilger, Aperture, January 30, 2020 -
Photographing Cultural Icons at Eye Level Dana Lixenberg’s new show, “American Images,” features famous creatives at the
Katie Berohn and Devine Blacksher, The Cut, New York Magazine, January 29, 2020 -
No one photographed the 90s like Dana Lixenberg
Wilbert L. Cooper, i-D, January 17, 2020 -
New exhibit in New York City gives rare glimpse into hip-hop royalty
Kemberly Richardson, ABC 7, New York, January 14, 2020 -
Diversity drives Unseen Amsterdam as 19 new galleries arrive
Tom Seymour, The Art Newspaper, September 19, 2019 -
Sterren of zwervers
Achsa Vissel, NIW, September 27, 2018 -
Famed Photographer Dana Lixenberg And Patta To Host Pop-Up Shop For 'Tupac Biggie' Book
Vibe , September 25, 2018 -
Dana Lixenberg portretteerde hedendaagse Amerikaanse iconen (in Dutch)
Pieter van der Wielen, VPRO, September 19, 2018 -
American Images toont kwetsbare beroemdheden (in Dutch)
NRC, September 13, 2018 -
Kwetsbaarheid (in Dutch)
Marcel van Roosmalen, NRC, September 12, 2018 -
Freek en Hella de Jonge leveren al hun privacy in voor de tentoonstelling Het Volle Leven (in Dutch)
Arno Haijtema, De Volkskrant, September 10, 2018 -
Ik probeer altijd een elegant portret te maken. Ook van Trump. (in Dutch)
Marcel Wiegman, Het Parool, September 8, 2018 -
Why Dana Lixenberg’s portraits of Tupac and Biggie live on
Ekow Eshun, Financial Times, September 7, 2018 -
Dana Lixenberg
David Markus, Art in America, February 1, 2018 -
Le L. A. Confidentiel de Dana Lixenberg
Julien Bordier, L' Express, January 15, 2018 -
Dana Lixenberg & Rineke Dijkstra
Mischa Cohen, Vrij Nederland, January 4, 2018 -
The top 10 photography exhibitions of 2017
Sean O’Hagan, The Guardian, December 13, 2017 -
Intimate Photos of an L.A. Housing Project
Shannon Barbour, The Cut, December 6, 2017 -
Paris Photo 2017 : qui sont les photographes à ne pas rater cette année?
Frédérique Chapuis, Télérama, November 19, 2017 -
LA PHOTOGRAPHE DANA LIXENBERG EXPOSE 20 ANS DE PHOTOS D’UN GHETTO DE LOS ANGELES
Antidote, November 18, 2017 -
PARIS PHOTO | WHAT’S THE SECRET?
Henri Robert, Happening, November 9, 2017 -
Dana Lixenberg
Gem Fletcher, Riposte, Issue 8, November 1, 2017 -
Portrait de famille d’Imperial Courts, ghetto noir de Los Angeles
Claire Guillot, M Le magazine du Monde, October 28, 2017 -
Organ Vida photofestival returns to Croatia to ask the big questions
Gemma Padley, British Journal of Photography, August 11, 2017 -
Dana Lixenberg Wins the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2017
Camera Austria, May 19, 2017 -
Fotograaf Dana Lixenberg wint prestigieuze Duitse prijs (in Dutch)
Sam de Voogt, NRC, May 19, 2017 -
Fotograaf Dana Lixenberg wint grote prijs
NOS, May 19, 2017 -
Dutch Photographer Dana Lixenberg Wins The 20th Deutsche Borse Photography Prize
Artlyst, May 19, 2017 -
Dana Lixenberg Wins Deutsche Börse Photography Prize
Artforum, May 19, 2017 -
Awards: Dana Lixenberg wins the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize
Diane Smyth, British Journal of Photography, May 18, 2017 -
Dana Lixenberg wins Deutsche Börse photography prize for shots of LA housing project
Mark Brown, The Guardian, May 18, 2017 -
'Are you FBI?' – how I captured the everyday life of an LA housing project
Ben Beaumont-Thomas, The Guardian, May 17, 2017 -
Award: Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2017
Charlotte Harding, British Journal of Photography, May 15, 2017 -
Photographer Dana Lixenberg's 22-year-long series in one of LA's oldest housing projects
Bryony Stone, It's Nice That, March 16, 2017 -
Nemen en geven (in Dutch)
Anne van Driel, De Volkskrant, March 15, 2017 -
Wint een Nederlander dit jaar weer eens de Deutsche Börse Photography Prize? (in Dutch)
Merel Bem, de Volkskrant, March 14, 2017 -
'The cat in the coffin almost steals the show' … the Deutsche Börse photography prize
Sean O'Hagan, The Guardian, March 1, 2017 -
From the Outside In
Stanley Wolukau-Wanambwa, Aperture, March 24, 2016 -
The world is helemaal niet yours (in Dutch)
Joyce Roodnat, NRC, December 17, 2015 -
Leven zonder nooduitgang (in Dutch)
Rianne van Dijck, NRC, December 15, 2015 -
Zij fotografeerde jarenlang de bewoners van Los Angeles (in Dutch)
Mark Moorman, De Volkskrant, December 10, 2015 -
De verschillende generaties van Imperial Courts in Los Angeles
VICE, November 26, 2015 -
Photographing a Los Angeles Community for 22 Years
George Pitts, Time, November 19, 2015 -
Gevorderd kijken: de foto’s van Dana Lixenberg
Ons Erfdeel, Issue 4, November 4, 2015 -
Mossless Magazine interviewt Dana Lixenberg
VICE, June 9, 2014 -
Dana Lixenberg, Imperial Courts: 1993-2013
Stonecutter, Issue 4, May 1, 2014 -
Imperial Courts
HotShoe, Issue 186, December 1, 2013 -
Burgemeesters te kijk op foto-expositie (in Dutch)
Trouw, October 11, 2011 -
Beklemmend en stil requiem voor een eiland (in Dutch)
Eddie Marsman, NRC, December 10, 2008 -
ART/ARCHITECTURE; Bringing Out the Gravitas In a Tough Housing Project
David Hay, The New York Times, May 30, 1999
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Dana Lixenberg at TENT Rotterdam
Dana Lixenberg July 1, 2019Dana Lixenberg, Imperial Courts, 1993-2015. A 22-year project that brought Lixenberg to Watts, South Central LA, where she portrayed generations of locals.Read more -
Dana Lixenberg at Het HEM
Dana Lixenberg June 21, 2019For many years Dana Lixenberg was the in-house photographer of the influential hip-hop magazine VIBE. In that capacity, she photographed musical legends such as Tupac...Read more -
Photo London: Dana Lixenberg in conversation with Magda Keaney
Dana Lixenberg May 17, 2019DANA LIXENBERG IN CONVERSATION WITH MAGDA KEANEY AT THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY For our annual Photo London keynote, we are pleased to announce Dutch documentary...Read more -
Photo London: Dana Lixenberg in conversation with Magda Keaney
Dana Lixenberg May 17, 2019For our annual Photo London keynote, we are pleased to announce Dutch documentary photographer Dana Lixenberg (Amsterdam, 1964). She will join Magda Keaney, Senior Curator,...Read more -
The Best Dutch Book Designs of 2018 Announced
Dana Lixenberg – Tupac Biggie March 9, 2019The thirty-three Best Dutch Book Designs 2018 have been announced. A total of 295 entries were assessed for their distinctive qualities by a panel of...Read more -
Tewa Women United, New Mexico, Vogue
Photographed by Dana Lixenberg March 6, 2019It begins and ends with smoke. Singed white sage is brushed up and down the body. Head to toe, limb to limb. This ritual smudging...Read more -
Shortlist Dutch Photographic Portrait Prize 2018
Dana Lixenberg October 25, 2018Dana Lixenberg is on the shortlist for Dutch Photographic Portrait Prize 2018Read more -
Dana Lixenberg x Patta - Tupac Biggie
Dana Lixenberg October 11, 2018On the occasion of the exhibition American Images a book will be published by Roma Publications in collaboration with Patta , presenting a visual history...Read more -
Dana Lixenberg x Patta Book Launch
11 October 2018, 17:00 - 21:00, GRIMM, Frans Hallsstraat 26, Amsterdam September 1, 2018On the occasion of the exhibition American Images a book will be published by Roma Publications in collaboration with Patta, presenting a visual history of...Read more -
Imperial Courts 1993-2015 at Belfast Exposed
Dana Lixenberg August 11, 2018 -
Artist Talk Dana Lixenberg
Dana Lixenberg June 28, 2018Thursday 28 June 2018, 19:00 DANA LIXENBERG The city at its margins. Imperial Courts: 1993-2015 free entrance Fondazione Stelline corso Magenta, 61 – Milan In...Read more -
Dana Lixenberg – Artist talk during the 10th edition of the Fotobookfestival Kassel
Dana Lixenberg June 2, 2018 -
Lecture Dana Lixenberg
January 24, 2018ARC Building, Lower Level, E2 Lecture Hall, Brooklyn Campus 7:00 PM – 9:00 PMRead more