Survivor Portrait of Daniel by Donna Backues

From the artist Donna Backues: Daniel’s Close Call One night in 2009, Daniel delivered a pizza to a South Philly residence and as he was returning to his car, Christine (his fiancé), who was sitting in the front seat heard popping noises. When she looked out the window she saw Daniel on the ground. Apparently, two teenage boys wanted to rob Daniel but he resisted and there was a struggle. One of the boys shot him four times –one shot in each leg and two shots that grazed his head. Christine rushed him to the nearby hospital where two bullets were removed from his upper legs. A few hours later he walked out of the hospital. Today he is married to Christine and has two boys.

From the curator: This is one of the portraits we have of someone who survived gun violence. Sadly we do not have more. Donna shows us Daniel seated and in an almost crumpled posture, hands on his wounds. His expression seems distant. The trigger changes lives. The use of the warm tones of the chair drifting onto his white shirt seems like the security of the world he knew before the shooting. It will be hard for Daniel to retrieve that trust and not to impart his fear to his young family.

Survivor Portrait of Daniel by Donna Backues chrcoal & pastel on paper 22” x 30” 2017