Biography
Daniel Traub is a Philadelphia-based photographer and filmmaker.
His photographic work looks at the ways in which historical and geopolitical strains and divisions manifest themselves in the landscape. His projects, often on the peripheries and interstices of cities, have brought him to sites throughout the world. Some of these include Little North Road, a document of the activities on a pedestrian bridge in the southern Chinese coastal metropolis of Guangzhou; Nablus, a study of the West Bank Palestinian town; and North Philadelphia, an investigation of the largely African American section of the city where he was born and raised.
Traub’s films, both short and feature-length documentaries, explore how societal and familial tensions impact the individual. These include Into Her Own, a biography of the artist Ursula von Rydingsvard; Xu Bing: Phoenix, which follows the creation of two monumental sculptures built from Beijing construction debris; and Barefoot Artist which follows the work of his mother Lily Yeh and her collaborative art projects in marginalized communities.
His photographs have been shown internationally, including exhibitions at the Catherine Edelman Gallery in Chicago, Slought Foundation in Philadelphia, the Weltkulturen Museum in Frankfurt, Germany and the Shanghai Center for Photography (SCoP). His work can be found in public collections, such as the Margulies Collection at the WAREhOUSE, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He has produced two monographs published by Kehrer Verlag: North Philadelphia (2014) and Little North Road (2015). His films have been shown at venues including Vancouver International Film Festival, Film Forum in NYC, Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago, The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, and Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA).
Curriculum Vitae
Traub’s films, both short and feature-length documentaries, explore how societal and familial tensions impact the individual. These include Into Her Own, a biography of the artist Ursula von Rydingsvard; Xu Bing: Phoenix, which follows the creation of two monumental sculptures built from Beijing construction debris; and Barefoot Artist which follows the work of his mother Lily Yeh and her collaborative art projects in marginalized communities.
His photographs have been shown internationally, including exhibitions at the Catherine Edelman Gallery in Chicago, Slought Foundation in Philadelphia, the Weltkulturen Museum in Frankfurt, Germany and the Shanghai Center for Photography (SCoP). His work can be found in public collections, such as the Margulies Collection at the WAREhOUSE, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He has produced two monographs published by Kehrer Verlag: North Philadelphia (2014) and Little North Road (2015). His films have been shown at venues including Vancouver International Film Festival, Film Forum in NYC, Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago, The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, and Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA).
Curriculum Vitae
Selected Press:
Articles/Reviews/Interviews
Lisa Movius, "Images of African Community Challenge Racism in China," The Art Newspaper, June 14, 2017.
Jean Loh, "Finding Vernacular Photography inside the Chocolate City,” L’Oeil De La Photographie, June 21, 2017.
Brice Pedroletti, “Le “rêve chinois” des Africains de Canton,” M - Le magazine du Monde, January 6, 2016.
Pauline Eiferman, "On the Bridge: Q&A with Daniel Traub,” Roads and Kingdoms, February 24, 2016.
Matt Schiavenza, "Inside Guangzhou's 'Little North Road' — Where China and Africa Intersect,” Asia Blog (Asia Society), April 5, 2016.
Mia Diehl, "The Global Economy on Little North Road,” Fortune, June, 2016.
F-Stop Magazine, "Book Review: Little North Road by Daniel Traub," Hans Durrer, August 1, 2016.
Jason Hanna, “Faces, Places in North Philadelphia,” CNN, February 12, 2015.
Michael Lieberman, "Daniel Traub's Little North Road,” Artblog, October 30, 2015.
Alexis Stephens, “Photographer Turns His Lens to Faces, Spaces of North Philadelphia,” Next City, October 1, 2014.
Adam Bell, “North Philadelphia,” Photoeye, November 17, 2014.
Kathleen Vaccaro, “Daniel Traub’s ‘Lots’ at the Print Center: A Fresh Look at Philadelphia,” The Artblog, January 14, 2011.
Jonathan M. Stein, “Arresting Photography at Print Center and Gallery 339,” Broad Street Review, January 15, 2011.
Cliff Shapiro, “Daniel Traub – Lots,” Photo-eye, November 29, 2011.
Scott Rothstein, “Daniel Traub,” Escape into Life, July 2, 2010.
Selected Radio/Podcast/Video
Stephen Snyder, Interview, ”You don't hear much about Africans in China. These photos say a lot.” PRI’s The World, November 29, 2016.
Hendrik Sybrandy, "Award-winning photo book shows African immigrants in China,” CGTN America, October 31, 2016.
“Xiaobeilu,” Vice (China), 2014. (7 minute documentary)
Roberta Fallon and Libby Rosof, Interview, “On the Interstices,” Artblog Radio, February 14, 2011.
Eric Olander and Cobus van Staden, Interview, "How a little bridge in Guangzhou connects China and Africa," Chinafile – A China in Africa Podcast, April 2, 2015.
Selected Online Publications
Landscape Stories, “26 Habitare - China Migrant Communities,” 2017.
“North Philadelphia,” Life Force Magazine, January 2016.
"Portraits of Africans in Guangzhou capture China’s shrinking 'Chocolate City’," Quartz, April 22, 2016.
“The Bridge,” California Sunday Magazine, March 1, 2015.
Nancy Geyer, “Vacant Lots + Chinese Takeouts: Photographs by Daniel Traub,” Terrain, January 14, 2015.
Ellyn Kail, “Striking Photos of Abandoned Philadelphia Lots Overtaken by the Wild,” Feature Shoot, August 1, 2014.
Platform Green, “North Philadelphia Revisited,” 2014.