Background
Born in Taipei, Taiwan, raised in New York City, and now residing in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Art Institute, MFA, 2008
Stanford University, Masters and BA with honors, distinction & Phi Beta Kappa, 1999
Represented by Rick Wester Fine Art, New York, NY
Solo Exhibitions
2015
Death Wooed Us, Rick Wester Fine Art, New York, NY
2014
In the Landscape, Silver Eye Center for Photography, Pittsburgh, PA
2013
WaterLand, Carte Blanche Gallery, San Francisco, CA
In the Landscape, Photo Gallery, Oakland, CA
2012
In the Landscape, Gallery 1401, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Selected Group Exhibitions
2021
Suizid - Let’s Talk About It!, Museum for Sepulkralkutur, Kassel, Germany
2020
Keeper of the Hearth, Houston Center for Photography, Houston, TX
Female in Focus, Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, CO
2018
Westward, San Francisco City Hall, San Francisco, CA
Landed, Darkroom Detroit. Detroit, MI
2017
Landscapes of Life & Death, 516 ARTS, Albuquerque, NM
2016
Boundless: A California Invitational, Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego, CA
T China, Photo Shanghai, Shanghai, China
2015
Critical Mass Top 50: curated by Rebecca Senf, GuatePhoto Festival, Guatemala
MOPA Photo Auction, Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego, CA
2014
After Ansel Adams, Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego, CA
By Invitation Only: Revealing the Landscape, St Mary's College Museum of Art, Moraga, CA
2013
Critical Mass Top 50, curated by WM Hunt, Southeast Museum of Photography, FL
Critical Mass Top 50, curated by WM Hunt, Jennifer Schwartz Gallery, Atlanta, GA
CENTER'S Curve, Santa Fe, NM
Kolga Tbilisi Photo 2013, Tbilisi, Georgia
Face-to-Face, The Human Image in the Collections of the Photographers: Network 2004-2013, Stadtische Galerie Iserlohn, Germany
MOPA Photo Auction, Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego, CA
photo l.a. 2013, Los Angeles, CA
2012
Looking at the Land, RISD Museum of Art, curated by Andy Adams, Providence, RI
The Curve: CENTER Award Winners, 2012, New Mexico Museum of Art,Santa Fe, NM
Transient States, SF Camerawork, San Francisco, CA
18th Annual Juried Competition, Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester, MA
Equivalents, Photo Center Northwest, Seattle, WA
Sweet Snaps, Pro’jekt LA, Space 15Twenty, Los Angeles, CA
2011
Fresh, KlompChing Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
photographers: network 2011, Thomas Kellner's studio, Seigen, Germany
Made in Woodstock V, Center for Photography at Woodstock, Woodstock, NY
Aground, PhotoCenter Northwest, Seattle, WA
2010
Art for AIDS Auction, Live Auction, San Francisco, CA
Juried Exhibition, Newspace Center for Photography, Portlad, OR
Biennial Photography, Edward Hopper House Art Center, Nyack, NY
Revisiting Beauty, Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Ana, CA
2009
MOPA, The Lab, San Francisco, CA
APATURE, Kearny Street Workshop, San Francisco, CA
Art for AIDS Auction, Bonham and Butterfields, San Francisco, CA
Money-Money-Money, ARC Gallery, Chicago, IL
2008
Our Environment, The Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, CO
ArtSeen 3, Downtown Gallery Row, Los Angeles, CA
Mirror for the 21st Century, BECA Gallery, New Orleans, LA
Ways and Means, 938 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA
2007
Flash Forward 07 Recycling Exhibition, Toronto, Canada
Another Country, Worth Ryder Gallery, Berkeley, CA
Home, Root Division Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2006
Art for AIDS Auction, Bonham and Butterfields, San Francisco, CA
Composing Biology, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA
2005
Two x 20, Modernbook Gallery, Palo Alto, CA
Awards/Honors/Recognition
2014
Critical Mass Top 50
CDS/Honickman First Book Prize, finalist
Silver Eye Fellowship 14 International Photography Competition, International Award, selected by Linda-Benedict Jones, Carnegie Museum, Curator of Photography
2013
CENTER Gallerist's Choice Award, 3rd place, selected by Lauren Panzo, Director, Pace/MacGill Gallery
Kolga International Photo Award, Conceptual Category
PDN's 30: New and Emerging Photographers to Watch, nominee
2012
APA/Lucie Foundation Scholarship Grant
CENTER Project Launch, honorable mention, selected by Virginia Heckert, Curator, J. Paul Getty Museum
Conscientious Portfolio Competition, finalist
Griffin Museum's 18th Annual Juried Exhibition, honorable mention, selected by Paul Kopeikin
Equivalents, Photo Center NW, selected by W.M Hunt, honorable mention
Critical Mass Top 50
2011
Aground, 2nd Place, selected by Karen Irvine, Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Photography
2010
Biennial Photography 2010, 1st place, selected by Lesley Martin, Aperture
2008
Ella King Torrey Award, San Francisco Art Institute, nominee
ArtSeen Emerging Artists
2007
Flash Forward Emerging Photographers, Magenta Foundation
PX3 Prix De La Photographie Paris, fine arts category, honorable mention
Books
2020
Keeper of the Hearth, Schilt Publishing
2014
Landmark: The Fields of Landscape Photography, curated by William A. Ewing, Thames & Hudson
Summertime, curated by Joanne Dugan, Chronicle Books
Flash Forward Tenth Special Anniversary Book, Magenta Foundation
2013
Kolga Tbilisi Photo, Kolga
2007
Flash Forward 2007, Magenta Foundation
Selected Features/Reviews
2019
"Donna J. Wan," Pictura Gallery blog, February 18th
2018
"Alluring Images of Dark Destinations on Display in ‘Westward’ Group Show," San Francisco Chronicle, May 11th
"“In Their Versions of the West, the Landscapes Are Never Empty," KQED, May 31st
2016
"Death Wooed Us - Donna J. Wan," Lens Magazine, August 2016 print edition, China-based magazine
2015
"Feature Shoot Recommends: Top 10 Photo Events and Happenings in New York (Mar. 16-22)," Feature Shoot
"Donna J. Wan Addresses Suicide in Her Challenging Series 'Death Wooed Us,'" PDN, April
"Death Wooed Us - Donna J. Wan," The South Edition Magazine
2014
"Idyllic Photos of Summertime," Feature Shoot
"Donna J. Wan's Haunting Photos of Suicide Destinations," Beautiful Decay
"The Beautiful Landscapes People Saw Before Committing Suicide," Wired.com
"Donna J. Wan," Aint-Bad Magazine
"The Last View: Beautiful, Unsettling Photos of Suicide Locations," Feature Shoot
"The Breathtaking Places Where People Have Gone to Die," Lost at E Minor
"Donna J. Wan: Travel to the Popular Places for Suicides," Photoworld (magazine published in China)
"Fellowship 14 at Silver Eye Center for Photography," Tribe Live, Arts and Entertainment
2013
“what makes my life real simple,” REALSIMPLE feature, November print edition
“Down by the Water: Exploring 'WaterLand," The Daily Californian
“SF Bay Area art picks, Feb. 14-17,” SFGate.com (San Francisco Chronicle)
“Events you can’t miss in February,” California Home + Design
“WaterLand,” Lost in SF
“Interview with Photographer Donna Wan,” CDS (Documentary Studies at Duke University) Porch
2012
"Today’s Flak Photo: Donna J. Wan, At the Air Strip," Flak Photo
Landscape, ARCHIVO Autumn Issue, No 2, online and print
“Rarefied A-I-R: Donna J. Wan,“ PDN, Holly Hughes, online & print, November
“2012 Center Award Winners,” Fraction Magazine
2011
"In the Landscape," Dude Magazine
"Donna J. Wan's Promised Lands," Beautiful Decay
"In the Landscape," Dead Porcupine Magazine
"Fraction Magazine Special Edition of Fresh Show 2011," W.M. Hunt
"Klompching Gallery's Fresh 2011 Exhibition," Lenscratch
"At the Edge of the Lake," PDN Picture of the Day, July 19
"Lay of the Land," Forward Thinking Museum blog, January
2010
"Contemporary Photographer: Donna Wan," Joerg Colberg, Conscientious
"Promised Lands," Fraction Magazine, Issue 14
2009
“Cashing in: Mary Jane Jacob juries ARC Gallery’s timely ‘Money, Money, Money,” Time Out Chicago, January 8-14, 2009, p. 53
2008
“Ways and Means: SFAI Group Show,” SF Weekly, April 16-22, 2008, p.31
“Mirror for the 21st Century, The Saatchi Gallery, UK/Saatchi Online
Collections
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego
BNY Mellon Bank
Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art
San Francisco Arts Commission
Private Collection of Elton John
Additional Information
Commissioned by the New York Times Style Magazine (T Magazine)
Guest Lecturer, UC Berkeley, invited by Allan deSouza, 2013
Guest Teacher, Landscape Photography Workshop, Olana, Hudson, New York, 2010
Guest Lecturer, UCLA, invited Catherine Opie, 2009
Artist-In-Residence at the Center for Photography at Woodstock, New York, 2009