Artworks member Owens Daniels exhibit featured in the Winston-Salem Journal Sunday June 27 with a review by Tom Patterson: Long time coming: A highlight of local Juneteenth celebrations, Owens Daniels’ exhibition remains on view at the Milton Rhodes Center
Studio portraiture, street photography, content-charged texts and digital technology make for a potent combination in the work of Owens Daniels.
Daniels has been producing powerful, text-augmented photographic pieces for several years. Recently he has compiled a strong body of work documenting local street protests. Prolific and persistent, he has exhibited his work in a number of local shows.
His art emphasizes African American culture and identity, so it’s fitting that it was highlighted in this month’s local celebration of Juneteenth, marking the anniversary of slavery’s end in the United States in 1965.
Daniels’ exhibition “When the Revolution Comes” opened in mid-June at Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts. It brings together selected pieces from at least four bodies of work, including several images he has shown locally within the past two years. These range from proud portraits of ordinary people to more journalistic shots of protesters and police on the streets.
Those insensitive or hostile to the “Black Lives Matter” movement and so-called “critical race theory” aren’t likely to give the show much of a chance. But I suspect most viewers will sympathize with the artist’s socio-political point of view. In addition to its thematic aspect, Daniels’ work also carries a purely visual charge. The combination is crucial to what is evidently his primary aim — stimulating thoughts that extend beyond the image.
Tom Patterson, Winston-Salem Journal, June 27, 2121