Daniel Efram is a photographer, producer, and art publisher. He has released two books, "Curiosities (2019)" and "The Steve Keene Art Book (2023)," showcasing his work in photojournalism, verité, portraiture, and the abstract.
Efram has photographed intriguing characters and situations worldwide, including Mexico, Spain, Portugal, France, Cuba, and the US. However, he finds his greatest subjects on the streets of his hometown, New York City. "Its sidewalks are my catwalks," he says, emphasizing that the cities themselves are as significant as the people he captures.
Efram's work goes beyond traditional candid portraits. Inspired by street photographers like Weegee, Diane Arbus, Sylvia Plachy, and Garry Winogrand, he invites subjects to inhabit their space with an unexpected edge. Empathy drives him. "Photography is about allowing people to emerge or evolve into places and moments they've earned, that they're entitled to, and that I'm lucky enough to witness and memorialize," he reflects.
His style draws from his love of film noir and vérité, capturing the rough edges and textures of bygone eras. Efram's goal is to capture genuine, candid moments that reveal imperfections often overlooked in contemporary photography.
Amidst a decade of caregiving and the loss of his parents, Efram found solace and focus in photography. His first book, "Curiosities," edited by Nicole Blackman, is an abstract, fictional, 24-hour, black and white noir compilation. It was self-published in April 2019, following four years of immersive study, reflection, and investigation.
"Curiosities" surpassed its Kickstarter funding goal, becoming Leica/LFI's Book of the Month for April 2019. The book was launched with a multimedia show at the Howl! Arts gallery in the East Village, featuring four simultaneous film projections accompanied by improvised experimental music and spoken-word performances.
Efram's "Steve Keene Art Book," co-published by Hat & Beard Press, was released in 2023 after approximately seven years in the making. It celebrates the prolific painter Steve Keene and features a comprehensive overview of his works. The book garnered international coverage, including features in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Economist, and Rolling Stone.
To launch the book, Efram curated two Steve Keene 30 Year Art Retrospectives in Los Angeles (Palm Grove Social) and Brooklyn (Chashama) in 2022. These retrospectives showcased art pieces from the book and Keene's experiential art performance.
CV: Photographer & Multimedia Artist
June 2021 Group Exhibition "Activist NY" Museum of the City of New York
January 2020 Group Exhibition “Altered States” Pleiades Gallery, New York, NY
October 2019 Selected Artist, Center’s Portfolio Review, Santa Fe’, NM
April 2019 Multimedia Immersive Performance /Event "An Evening with Daniel Efram's Curiosities" Book Launch, Howl Arts gallery, NY, NY
April 2019 Shortlist, Belfast Photo Festival, Belfast, Ireland
April 2019 Leica/LFI's Book of the Month "Curiosities"
October 2016 Solo Exhibition, "Public Hanging, No. 5,” Dub Art, Brooklyn, NY
September 2016 Solo Exhibition, “Public Hanging, No. 4,” The Grange, Warwick, NY August 2016, Solo “Public Hanging,
No. 3,” The Grange, Warwick, NY
July 2016 Multimedia Immersive Performance “Nouveau Noir,” Howl Art Gallery - NY, NY
December 2015 Solo Exhibition, “Public Hanging, No. 2,” Dub Art, Brooklyn, NY
October 2015 Solo Exhibition, “Public Hanging, No. 1,” The Grange, Warwick, NY
Curator
January 2016 With Shepard & Amanda Fairey
Solo Exhibition, Steve Keene (artist) “Modular Synthesis“, Subliminal Projects, LA, CA
June-Sept 2014 Solo Exhibition, “Steve Keene’s Brooklyn Experience,” Artist In Residence, Featured Show, Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn, NY