Dan Turner is an artist and educator from London, a Roma born in Kent whose family still lives in South East London where there are many close links to Roma culture.
Dan was educated at Central St Martins School of Art where he gained a BA Honours Degree in Fine Art (Sculpture). He works across media including sculpture, video and painting. Using transactional objects that are significant in both cultures, Turner explores how Gypsy, Roma and Traveller cultures meet and interact with the dominant culture.
He is interested in how human life can be defined and archived through manufactured objects, and how these objects communicate across timelines through a shared ‘material’ culture and communicate this culture to a wider audience. In his practice, he does this by exploring the interaction between Romani culture and mainstream culture through themes of commercial exchange in Romani life.
Using transactional objects of significance to both cultures, he explores how Roma and Traveller cultures have come into contact and interacted with the dominant culture over time. Working with traditional crafts and trades such as herbalism, peg and wooden flower making and divination, he creates a new image of Roma past, present and future to challenge mainstream culture’s view of Roma identities.
His work “Seeds of Healing” was shown in FUTUROMA at the Venice Biennale 2019. In 2020 he exhibited in Wales as part of the Gypsy Maker Project supported by the Romani Cultural and Arts Company, in Berlin at Kaidikhas Gallery and at the London Bronze Casting Company as part of their New Edition’s Commission. His video work Patteran was selected for the online exhibition celebrating the 50th Romani Congress. Dan is currently working on an online performance and installation commission for Meadow Arts and the Estuary Festival 2021, UK.
