Artist statement
Reading his palm Bob and Roberta Smith declared Daniel Lehan to be:
The Most Stubborn Artist I Have Ever Met !
Frog Morris - Curator, Poet and Performer - says:
Daniel's works often begin with simple instructions that any man, or woman, in the street can follow: ‘Make a sign saying what you want’, ‘write down your darkest thoughts’, ‘collect unusual stories from the newspaper’, ‘draw a pie chart of your emotional life’. He uses understated calm and reassuring charm to encourage people to interact and create these works with him. The end products are a rich patchwork of thoughts and ideas gathered up from the minutiae of people’s lives.
Elaine Arkell - Artist - has declared: Daniel is a cross between The Cat Who Walks By Himself, and The Cheshire Cat !
Daniel Lehan – former paperboy, choirboy, shop assistant, ice cream seller, chip shop manager, petrol pump attendant, pub caterer, post office worker, theatre usher, cleaner, adult education tutor, leaflet distributor, front of house manager, t-shirt designer, screen printer, gardener, teacher.
Solo exhibitions
- 2012 If These Walls Could Speak, AXENEO7, Hull, Quebec
- 2008 Davina and Daniel - Open Surgery, The Surgery, London (more info)
- 2007 BOAST, Wiebke Morgan Gallery, London (more info)
- 2007 Davina and Daniel - Eight Weeks Of Change, Space Station Sixty-Five, London (more info)
- 2007 Davina and Daniel - lonely heARTs, Space Station Sixty-Five, London (more info)
- 2000 Dawn to Dusk, The Bull Arts Centre, London
Group exhibitions
- 2012 Vague D'Art, Centre D'Exposition L'Imagier, Gatineau, Quebec
- 2012 Sketch, Saw Gallery, Ottawa, Canada
- 2012 The Nunhead Open, Nunhead, London
- 2011 The Nunhead Open, Nunhead, London
- 2011 Cafe Gallery Annual Open, Cafe Gallery, London
- 2011 The Cut, Olympic ViewTube Site, London
- 2011 The Cut, [SPACE], London
- 2011 Uber!Pusch!, Hottingerstrasse 4, Zurich, Switzerland
- 2011 1st International Biel City Zine Weeks, Lokal-int, Switzerland
- 2010 Peckham Space Open, Peckham Space, London
- 2010 Above The Serious, The Gallery, Stoke Newington, London
- 2010 James Taylor Project 10, James Taylor Gallery, London (more info)
- 2010 NierghtravAOnWint’sIf A Teller: a book in 8 chapters and 4 dimensions, Gooden Gallery, London, London (more info)
- 2010 The Nunhead Open, Nunhead, London
- 2010 Lines Of Desire, Oriel Davies Gallery, Powys
- 2010 At Play 2, South Hill park, Bracknall (more info)
- 2009 About Now, Perla-Mode, Zurich
- 2009 Publish And Be Damned Fair, Oxford House, London
- 2009 Suomenlinna Treasure hunt, Helsinki Artist-In-Residence Programme, Finland
- 2009 Cafe Gallery Annual Open, Cafe Gallery, London
- 2009 The Wild As Will And Mediation, Wiebke Morgan, Bethnal Green (more info)
- 2009 Travelling Alone, Waterside Project Space, London
- 2009 Police And Violence, Presented by The Guy Hilton Gallery at The Sassoon Gallery, London
- 2009 Ishihara, Kube Gallery, Dorset
- 2009 Age And Memory, Orleans House Gallery, London
- 2008 Cafe Gallery Annual Open, Cafe Gallery, London
- 2008 The Nunhead Open, Nunhead, London (more info)
- 2008 Galerie Tam Tam, Windows and shops in Leiden, Nederlands
- 2008 Suburbia Revisited, Wiebke Morgan, London (more info)
- 2008 Meet The Artists, Orleans House Gallery, London
- 2008 The King and I, Herbert Read Gallery, Canterbury
- 2008 You Find Yourself Here, RAP architectuurcentrum, Leiden
- 2007 ArtSway Open07, ArtsSway, Hampshire (more info)
- 2007 lonely heARTs at the Kaunas Biennial, Lithuania, M. Zilinskas Art Gallery, Kaunas (more info)
- 2007 A Blakean Birthday Party, Tate Britain, London
- 2007 Cafe Gallery Annual Open, Cafe Gallery, London
- 2007 Beneath The Tarmac, The Grass, Bromley House Library, Nottingham (more info)
- 2007 Nunhead Open 4, The Surgery, London (more info)
- 2007 Peer Esteem, Five Years, London (more info)
- 2007 deviant Art Festival, The Pumphouse Gallery and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Trolhatten (more info)
- 2007 Smallworks, Mantle Arts, Leicestershire (more info)
- 2007 Abandoned Chairs, Norwich Arts Centre, Norwich (more info)
- 2006 I & Me, Studio Voltaire, London (more info)
- 2006 The Stars Down To Earth, The Nunnery, London (more info)
- 2005 Printing Matters!, Witte de With, Rotterdam
- 2005 Kiosk (XIV), Istanbul Biennial 2005, Turkey
- 2005 a Mart: The Art Supermarket, Ale and Porter Arts, Wiltshire (more info)
- 2005 ArtSway Open 05, ArtSway, Hampshire
- 2005 Kiosk (XV) Modes of Multiplication, ICA, London
- 2005 A.A.A.B.A.M UPSTAIRS, The Upstairs Gallery, London
- 2005 Gorgeously Repulsive, University Gallery, University of Essex, Colchester
- 2005 Grounds For Designs, Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture, London
- 2005 A.A.A.B.A.M In America, West Coast Festival of Contemporary Art, San Francisco
- 2004 You Are Here Festival, Various locations, Nottingham
- 2004 The Sex Show, Lotus Gallery, Bath
- 2004 Margate Rocks, Thanet Contemporary Arts Festival, Kent
- 2004 Berlin Book Fair, Alexanderplatz, Berlin
- 2004 State Of Independence, Leswin Place and Ilex Works, London
- 2004 Embroidery At The Bull, artsdepot, London
- 2004 Coverage, M + R Gallery, London
- 2004 Outdoor Habitats, Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture, London
- 2004 Mostyn Open, Oriel Mostyn Gallery, Wales
- 2004 What's That In The Woods?, Millfield Arts Centre, London
- 2004 Love And Bullets, Transition Gallery, London
- 2004 Abandon, Substation Project Space, Margate, Kent
- 2003 Reduced, Century Gallery, London
- 2003 Feast, Miller's House, London
- 2003 Wellmade3, Stratford, London
- 2003 Annual Open, Café Gallery Projects, London
- 2003 Flinch, sevenseven gallery, London
- 2003 Souvenir, Transition Gallery, London
- 2003 Nth Art Show, Ols & Co, London
- 2003 Margate Rocks, Thanet Contemporary Arts Festival, Kent
- 2003 Come On You Intellectuals, Deptford X Festival, London
- 2003 Bow Arts Trust Open Studios, Bow, London
- 2002 Annual Open, Café Gallery Projects, London
- 2002 well-made2, Stratford, London
- 2001 Annual Open, Café Gallery Projects, London
- 2001 Raw Canvas Show, Aldwych, London
- 2001 Thirteen, The Florence Trust, London
- 2001 Self Service Painting, Five Years, London
- 2001 Florence Trust Group Show, Marks and Spencer Head Office, London
- 2000 Cable Street Open, Cable Street Studios, London
- 1998 Annual Open, Café Gallery Projects, London
- 1995 The Genitals Are Beauty, The House of William Blake, London
- 1992 2nd Coming, South London Art Gallery, London
- 1990 Drawings, Lewisham Theartre, London
- 1990 Southwark Open, South London Gallery, London
- 1989 Drawings, Lewisham Theatre, London
- 1986 Drawings, Arts Theatre, London
- 1986 Printing is Easy, Woodlands Gallery, London
- 1986 Paintings, Arts Theatre, London
Curated projects
- 2012 Artist Faire L’Artiste, Le Temporarie, Hull, Quebec
- 2012 The Austerity Olympics, Pump House Gallery, London
- 2011 A Commemoration of the lives of Nicole Lehan and Daniel Polonsky, Carnivale, London
- 2010 YOUR ART HERE (TOO), Camberwell Arts Festival, London
- 2009 This Happy Band, The Nunhead Festival, Nunhead (more info)
- 2009 YOUR ART HERE, Camberwell Arts Festival, Camberwell (more info)
- 2009 50 NOT OUT !, The Montague Arms, London (more info)
- 2008 BINGO, The Nunhead Festival, London (more info)
- 2007 I & ME TOO, Studio Voltaire and Cubitt Gallery and Studios, London (more info)
- 2004 The Good, The Bad, And The ..., Campbell Works, London
- 2003 Last Days In The Garden, Ashley Gardens, London
Live/Performance
- 2013 Poetry & Paint, Craft Central, London
- 2013 Cahier de catéchèse Book Launch, Full Stop, London
- 2012 Nuit Blanche, Ottawa City, Canada
- 2012 Obituary Times: The Communist Gallery in Leeds, LAB / East Street Arts, Leeds
- 2012 Survivors Poetry, Poetry Cafe, Covent Garden, London
- 2012 Spoonful Of Poison, The Stags Head, Hoxton, London
- 2012 ScaleDown, The King and Queen, Fitzrovia, London
- 2012 Poetry Platform, Netil House, Hackney, London
- 2012 What’s In The Bag, The Constitution in Camden, London
- 2012 SpeakEasy, The Underground, Hastings
- 2012 Edgar Allan Poe Evening, The Constitution in Camden, London
- 2011 Mermaid Song and Lustrous Balm, The Pharmacy of Stories, London
- 2011 Acoustic Sessions, Angus Hughes Gallery, London
- 2011 This Happy Band At Green Plot, Camberwell Arts Festival, London
- 2011 A Commemoration Of The Lives Of Nicole Lehan And Daniel Plonsky, Carnivale, London
- 2011 Chutney Preserves ~ The School of Chutney, Camberwell Arts Festival, London
- 2011 This Happy Band, South London Gallery, London
- 2011 The Royal Act, Cabaret Voltaire, Zurich Switzerland
- 2011 Cover-Up, Lokal-Int, Biel, Switzerland
- 2010 Super Heroes Night, The Montague Arms, London
- 2010 The Montague Arms Festival, The Montague Arms, London
- 2010 Animal Fair, Camberwell Arts Festival, London
- 2010 This Happy Band, South London Gallery, London
- 2010 Witch Night, The Montague Arms, London
- 2010 VOTE This Happy Band!, Vyner Street, London
- 2010 Create YourTopias, Second Avenue Brixton, London
- 2010 Daniel Lehan Presents . . ., shift, London
- 2010 Dead Season Live Art- This Happy Band, Margate locations, Kent
- 2010 Dead Season Live Art- Shine The Light, Margate locations, Kent
- 2010 The Vaults Bazaar, The Vaults, Birmingham
- 2010 STARRY STARRY NIGHT, The Montague Arms, London
- 2009 MICROSQUIB, The Montague Arms, London (more info)
- 2009 This Happy Band, The Barbican Centre, London
- 2009 Loud And Quiet Poems, The Montague Arms, London
- 2009 The Nights of the Arts, Helsinki, Helsinki (more info)
- 2009 One Sandwich Short Of A Picnic, A Cafe Muses Event, London
- 2009 Utrophia @ Shunt, Shunt, London
- 2009 The Big Event, Myatt's Fields Park, Camberwell (more info)
- 2009 What Line Isn’t That Anyone?, Resonance FM, London
- 2009 PH7 Radio Show, South City Radio, www.southcityradio.org
- 2009 Role Of The Village Idiot, Peckham Square, London
- 2009 Contested Ground, 176 Gallery, London
- 2009 ScrapBookTales, The Montague Arms, London
- 2008 Puppenspielerei, Wiebke Morgan, Bethnal Green (more info)
- 2008 Micro Performance, The Montague Arms, London
- 2008 Free, Free Art Fair, London
- 2008 Scene In The Making, Concrete and Glass Festival, London
- 2008 Stage Struck, Southwark Playhouse, London (more info)
- 2008 BonkersFest, Camberwell, London (more info)
- 2008 Stone Cold Sober Evening, Camberwell Arts Festival, London (more info)
- 2008 Walk HERE, Camberwell Arts Festival, London (more info)
- 2008 Old Chaps Night, The Montague Arms, London (more info)
- 2008 Play On Words, The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich
- 2008 Subliminal Seduction, Oxford Street, London
- 2008 Suburbia, The Foreign Press Association, London (more info)
- 2008 Uncle Jeepsie's Valentine Special, The Montague Arms, London (more info)
- 2007 Nickolaus Tag Event, Wiebke Morgan, London (more info)
- 2007 Bad Boy Billy Blake's Big Birthday Bash, The Ivy House, London (more info)
- 2007 The Curse Of Me, The Old Truman Brewery, London (more info)
- 2007 Liberty Festival, Trafalgar Square, London (more info)
- 2007 House About That!, Streatham, London (more info)
- 2007 Street Recipes, Campbell Works, London (more info)
- 2007 Peckham Petastic 3, Peckham, London (more info)
- 2007 Gorilla In The Roses, Camberwell Arts Festival, London (more info)
- 2007 Peripatetic Proverbs, Camberwell Arts Festival, London (more info)
- 2007 Service Wash Tales, Camberwell Arts Festival, London (more info)
- 2007 BonkersFest, Camberwell, London (more info)
- 2006 Jumble It Up, Oxford Playhouse, Oxford (more info)
- 2006 'Splashdown, Whitstable', Whitstable Biennale, Kent (more info)
Intervention
- 2012 CARDBOARD POEMS, installed in various locations, London
- 2011 CARDBOARD POEMS, installed in the City of Ottawa, Canada
- 2008 From The Picturesque To The Demolished, Stratford, London (more info)
- 2006 FRED, Various Locations, Cumbria (more info)
Artist talks
- 2011 All Me Own Work, Guv, AXENEO7, Quebec, Canada
- 2011 All Me Own Work, Guv, Department of Visual Arts, University of Ottawa, Canada
- 2011 The Society For Curious Thought, Lemon Monkey Cafe, London
Residencies
- 2012 Artist In Residence, AXENEO7, Gatineau, Quebec
- 2012 Play Spots, South London Gallery, Sceaux Estate, London
- 2010 Dear Diary . . ., Chisenhale Gallery and Vital Arts, The Royal London Hospital
- 2009 Charlie Chaplin Adventure Playground Residency, South London Gallery, London
- 2009 HIAP Residency, HIAP - Helsinki Artist in Residence Programme, Helsinki (more info)
Public commissions
- 2010 Things To Do To Make Your Day Better, South London Gallery, London
- 2005 Kolley Kibber R.I.P, Roman Roadparty, London
Site specific
- 2008 The Public Acts, The Public, West Bromwich (more info)
- 2008 See & Collect, Consume Peckham, Peckham (more info)
- 2008 HERE, Camberwell Arts Festival, London (more info)
- 2006 SIDESHOW, Various locations, Nottingham (more info)
Publications
- 2013 Poetry & Paint
- 2013 Cahier de catéchèse - ISBN-13: 978-0-9571644-7-5
- 2012 The Delinquent
- 2012 Alpine Phantoms, on the fantastic lure of the mountains, Dark Windows Press
- 2011 Katalog - Number 12, Lokal-Int, Biel-Bienne, 2011, Switzerland
- 2011 Patricide, The Sound of Surrealism, Issue 4, 2011, ISSN 2043-6610
- 2011 The Cut - ISBN 078-0-9554060-8-9
- 2011 The Cat Came As A Tomato: conversations on contemporary art and play from the South London Gallery - ISBN 978-1-898461-39-5
- 2011 Patricide - Uncanny Issue - ISSN 2043-6610
- 2011 NierghtravAOnWint’sIf - Exhibition Catalogue - ISBN 978-1-900687-37-9
- 2011 Social Club 09/10 - ISBN - 978-1-906470-07-4
- 2010 Intoart: See The Revolutionary Art Exhibit - ISBN 9780948835445
- 2010 Lines Of Desire - Exhibition Catalogue
- 2010 Impulsive Random Platform
- 2010 The Wild Pansy Press Book Of Rainy Day Activities
- 2009 Night Time - work included in this artist's book by Ana Laura Lopez de la Torre
- 2008 You Find Yourself Here - Exhibition Catalogue
- 2007 EPOCH - Catalogue introduction written for exhibition by Christopher Campbell - ISBN - 978-0-9548413-1-7
- 2007 Abandoned Chairs - Exhibition Catalogue - ISBN 1-872482-83-X
- 2006 The Stars Down To Earth - Exhibition Catalogue
- 2005 Second Chance - ISBN 0-9544339-1-2
- 2004 Mostyn Open - Exhibition Catalogue
Web links - gallery/work/projects
Web links - article/press
Personal website