Daniel Power – Powerhouse and Powerhouse Arena
Daniel Power – Powerhouse and Powerhouse Arena
From his first encounter with photography to the opening of his gallery…
In the 80’s, Daniel was working in a bookstore where he says photography books existed mainly as traditional monographic books of straightforward documentary type. Photography was not an art form yet. In 1988, he joined Aperture and remembers discovering through the works of Diane Arbus and Nan Goldin how reality could be taken to a deeply personal level and photographs shot from an individual and intimate point of view. He adds that his years at Aperture started a radical change in his way of looking at images.
In 1990, he left Aperture and co-founded D.A.P. (Distributed Art Publishers), a book distribution company with Walter Keller (Parkett Art Magazine). Together and through Walter Keller’s publishing company Scalo, they contributed to sell, publish, re-edit and spread major photography books (Nan Goldin, Robert Frank…)
In 1994, Walter helped Daniel leave and create his own publishing house: Powerhouse. His first book was a collaboration with Thea Westreich: Jack Pierson’s All of a Sudden followed by his first “solo” book: Red Light – Inside the sex industry by Sylvia Plachy and James Ridgeway. In 1996, he hired Craig Cohen and taught him everything he knew on book publishing.
In 2003, from his office building on Varick street, he saw a “for rent” sign on an old factory across the street. He and Craig decided to rent the first floor and create an event and exhibition gallery as a way to make the books come to life. In 2005, the building was sold and they opened The Arena at 37 Main street in Dumbo, Brooklyn.
A fond memory…
When Aperture first published a hardcover of Nan Goldin’s Ballad of Sexual dependency, it didn’t sell well. In 1989, Aperture was obligated to produce a paperback version of the book or they would lose the contract. Daniel was working there and completely convinced by the intensity of the book so he created a series of event around the book to help sales. He remembers organizing a signature session at a major bookstore in the city, and waiting 20 long and empty minutes with a very nervous and mortified Nan Goldin.
A bad memory…
When Scalo published a Larry Clark book (Draper later re-titled A perfect childhood) that could not be imported in the United States because there were a lot of pictures of children under the age of 18 that Larry had not asked permission for.
A photograph that has a special importance in his life…
Untitled portrait from Perfect Intimacies photography project and book by Lili Almog. Daniel likes the solitude and formalism of this image. He adds that the nun in the image represents a cathedral. “She inhabits the cathedral, she is the house of worship”.
A photography book that has a special importance in his life…
Boxing by Larry Fink. Daniel adds that it was the very first book that he and Craig intended as a high-end photo book monograph. They did the separation with Thomas Palmer, the printing at Eurographica in Italy, and Daniel had commissioned all the text including a history of boxing by Bert Randolph Sugar.
On his bedroom wall…
Nude photographs of his wife Suzanne by Fred Aufray
Thank you Daniel
Stéphanie de Rougé
