Artist Profile

Dina
Goldstein

Dina Goldstein began her career over 30 years ago as a photojournalist.

“Satire is important because someone has to hold up a mirror to society”

Dina Goldstein began her career over 30 years ago as a photojournalist, evolving from a documentary and editorial photographer into an independent artist focusing on largescale productions of nuanced Narrative Photography tableaux. Her work is highly conceptual and complex social commentary ; incorporating cultural archetypes and iconography from the collective common imagination with narratives inspired by the human condition. Leaning into the visual language of pop surrealism, she stages compositions that expose the underbelly of modern life, challenging the notions of cultural influence and inherent belief systems. The vivid and provocative still imagery emerges through an entirely cinematic technique, with Dina’s established methodology following a precise pre- to post production process.

Goldstein’s work has been the subject of academic essays and dissertations, and has been covered extensively in media around the globe. The projects are studied and taught in art schools, photography programs and gender studies. The Fallen Princesses are included in elementary school textbooks, as teaching tools and subjects of discourse within the classroom. Dina is represented internationally, and consistently exhibits at festivals, biennales, commercial galleries, art centres and museums.

Dina was recognized by Arte Laguna Photographic Selection that won her a residency to India in 2012, and most notably, Goldstein was the overall winner at the Prix Virginia, 2015, an international prize for women photographers, based in Paris, France. A full list of awards and recognitions is included.

Solo and group exhibitions

2023
• Group, Studio Idan, Paris, France Le Corps Dans La Peau Curator: Luc Masson-Todeschini
• Solo, Studio Idan, Paris, France Unchanted Realities Curator: Idan Wizen
2020
• Solo, Museum of Jewish Montreal, Montreal, Canada Snapshots From The Garden Of Eden Curator: Alyssa Stokvis-Hauer
• Solo, Art Mur Gallery, Montreal, Canada Gods Of Suburbia Curator: Rheal Lanthier
• Solo, Castle of Compiano, Parma, Italy Fallen Princesses Curators: Opus in Artem
• Solo, Masterpiece Art, London, England. Modern Girl Curator: Alex Cousens
• Group, The Arts Company, Nashville, USA Dollhouse, Fallen Princesses Curator: Langley Burton
• Group, Aesthetica Art Prize, Future Now, York Gallery London, England. Princess, Snapshots From The Garden Of Eden Curator: Cherie Federico
2019
• Group, Musée de l’Homme, Paris, France. Alimentations: Nourritures/ Cultures/ Natures, The Last Supper, East Vancouver, 2014. Curators: Virginio Gaudenzi, Alexis Amen
• Group, Juming Museum, Taipei, Chance and Coincidence, Taiwan. Fallen Princesses Curator: Hung-Chih Wang
• Group, Pasinger Fabrik, Yes We Ken, Munich, Germany. In The Dollhouse Curators: Augusta Laar, Stefan-Maria Mittendorf
• Solo, Head On Photography Festival, Sydney, Australia. Gods Of Suburbia Curator: Moshe Rosenzveig
2018
• Solo, Addis Foto Festival, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Gods Of Suburbia, Curator: Aida Muluneh
• Solo, Museo della Padova Ebraica, Padua, Italy. Snapshots From The Garden Of Eden, Curator: Domenico Maria Papa
• Solo, Castello Cavour, Turin, Italy. Art Site Festival. Fallen Princesses. Curator: Domenico Maria Papa
• Solo,Venice Jewish Museum, Venice, Italy. Snapshots From The Garden Of Eden. Curator: Marcella Ansaldi
• Solo, Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio, Milan, Italy. Gods and Princesses Curator: Opus In Artem
• Group, Ian Potter Museum, University of Melbourne, Australia. ‘All the better to see you with: Fairytales transformed’ Curator: Samantha Comte
2017
• Festival, Lishui Biennial Photography Festival, Lishui Museum, China. Where Does The Future Get Made? Gods Of Suburbia. Curator: James Ramer
• Solo, Sidney and Gertrude Zack Gallery, Jewish Center, Vancouver, B.C. Snapshots From The Garden Of Eden. Curator: Linda Lando
• Group, Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco, US. Jewish Folktales Retold: Artist as Maggid. Curators: Pierre-François Galpin, Renny Pritikin
• Festival, Contact Photography Festival, Toronto, Ont. Fallen Princesses. Curator: Belinda Chum Gallery House
• Festival, Auckland Festival Of Photography, Auckland, NZ. Gods Of Suburbia Curator: Shahidul Alam
• Group, Leaves from the Garden Of Eden: One Hundred Classic Jewish Tales, Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco. “Curator: Pierre-François Galpin” → ·issou· ←
2016
• Festival, Daegu Photo Biennale, Daegu South Korea. Curator: Issack Kim
• Solo, Palazzo Flangini, Venice, Italy. Curator: Galleria Bianca Maria Rizzi
• Solo, Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum, Mesa, Arizona. Curator: Tiffany Fairall
• Group, Once Upon in A Fairy Tale, Mart Photography Centre Yekaterinberg, Russia. Curator: Artem Berkovich
• Solo, Dina Goldstein, Modern Girl, Virginie Barrou Planquart, Paris, France. Curator: Virginie Barrou Planquart
• Solo, Gods Of Suburbia, Capture Photo Festival, Vancouver. Curator: Kim Spencer-Nairn
• Group, The Girl Next Door, Haarlem, Holland
• Group, Palm Springs Fine Art Fair, Palm Springs, USA
• Solo, Collections, Central Dupon, Paris, France
• Festival, Gods Of Suburbia, Art Souterrain, Montreal, Quebec. Curator: Raymond Cantin
• Solo, In The Dollhouse, Rize Gallery, Amsterdam, Holland. Curator: Immechien Bonnet
• Solo, Gods Of Suburbia, Madison Gallery, CA, USA. Curator: Lorna York
2015
• Festival, Fallen Princesses, Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie En Gaspesie, Quebec, Canada. Curator: Claude Goulet.[19] • Solo, Fallen Princesses, Playtime Productions and Opiom Gallery- Public Exhibition, Mediathèque, Mouans-Sartoux, France. Curator: Hélène Girault[20] • Festival, In the Dollhouse, Fotografica Bogota Bianal- Photography Museum Colombia. Museum Director: Gilma Suárez [21] 2014
• Solo, In the Dollhouse and Fallen Princesses, Prix Virginia Overall winner, Paris, France: Jury Curated Organizers: Marie Descourtieux and Sylvia Schildge [22] • Festival, Fallen Princesses, Rencontres Internationales De La Photographie En Gaspésie, Quebec, Canada Jury Curated: Festival Director, Claude Goulet [19] • Group, Gods Of Suburbia, Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai, India. Curator: Igor Zanti / Arte Laguna [23] • Catalogue Inclusion, In The Dollhouse, Musée d’Orsay Paris, France, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera Catalogue Curator: Marie-Paule Vial, Director.Musée de l’Orangerie [24] • Solo, XX, 20 Year Retrospective, Capture Photo Festival, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada [25] • Festival, In The Dollhouse, Capture Photo Festival, Kimoto Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Curator: Katsumi Kimoto [26] • Solo, In The Dollhouse, Art Mur Gallery, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Curator: Rheal Lanthier [27] • Group, Works On Paper, Papier 13, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Curator: Committee Papier 13 [28] • Solo, Fallen Princesses, Musee Femme, Quebec Traveling exhibition, Curator: Marie-Eve Desautels [29] • Group, Fallen Princesses, Brigham Young University Museum of Art, We Could Be Heros, Utah, U.S.A. Curator: Jeff Lambson [30] • Group, Fallen Princesses, OUT / OFF – Mumbai, India Curator: Kanchi Mehta, Chameleon Art Projects [31] • Group, Fallen Princesses, Venice Arsenale, Arte Laguna, Venice, Italy, Curator: Igor Zanti [32] • Group, Fallen Princesses, Please Lie to Me, Art Mûr’s 15th Anniversary [33] 2010
• Festival, Fallen Princesses, Bielsko-Biala FotoArt Festival, Poland, Curator: Inez Baturo
• Solo, Fallen Princesses, Buschlen Mowatt Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Curator: Barrie Mowatt [34] 2005
• Solo, Trackrecord, Gallery L’Opera, 2004 Paris, France, Curator: Guy Berube
2004
• Solo, Trackrecord, Pendulum Gallery, Vancouver, B.C.
2003
• Group, David, Exposure Gallery, Vancouver, B.C. Curator: Ian McGuffie
2001
• Solo, Images of Gaza, Naamat Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel Sidney and Gertrude Gallery, Vancouver, B.C

Awards

• 2020 Aesthetica Art Prize, Finalist
• 2020 Arte Laguna, Photographic section, Finalist
• 2019 Lucie Awards, Deeper Perspective, Honourable Mention
• 2019 Honourable Mention Julia Margaret Cameron Awards
• 2018 Arte Laguna, Belgium Residency Selection
• 2017 Black & White Spider Awards
• 2016 Sony Awards Short list[17] • 2016 Arte Laguna, Photographic Selection[18] • 2014 Prix Virginia, Paris, France Grand Prize
• 2013 International Color Awards, Fine Art Finalist
• 2012 The Big F Award, Framed Awards
• 2012 Selected for Art Basel
• 2011 Arte Laguna Special Prize Winner
• 2009 Popular Photography, reader’s competition
• 2009 International Color Awards, Fine Art Finalist
• 2008 1st Place ‘Magazine Cover Art’, Applied Arts Magazine
• 2006 Nominee, ‘David Screams’, Black and White Spider Awards
• 2006 1st Place, ‘Ice Cream’, International Colour Awards
• 2004 1st Place, ‘Hands’, Applied Arts Magazine
• 2004 1st Place, ‘Trackrecord Exhibit Poster’ Applied Arts Magazine
• 2003 3rd Place, ‘Trackrecord Exhibit Poster’, Nikon PDN awards
• 2003 Top 10 Ice Cream Photo Life Magazine
• 2002 Nominee, ‘Manifesto of Fun’, Western Magazine Awards
• 2001 Nominee, ‘Home Wrecked’, Western Magazine Awards
• 1999 Nominee, ‘Dig It’, Western Magazine Awards

Projects

FALLEN PRINCESSES

Fallen Princesses, 2007-2009 was born out of deep personal pain, inspiring Dina to critically examine the “happily ever after” motif that we are spoon fed since childhood.The series creates metaphor out of the myths of fairy tales, forcing the viewer to contemplate real life: failed dreams, addiction, obesity, Cancer, the extinction of indigenous culture, pollution, war and the fallacy of chasing eternal youth. By embracing the colours and textures created by Walt Disney, which build a multi-billion dollar empire exploiting these fairy tales, Fallen Princesses exposes the consumerism that has negated the value of these ancient parables. The series was first exhibited in 2009, and gained much attention in the press and on-line. Today the Fallen Princesses are shown internationally and continue to go ‘viral’ online.

IN THE DOLLHOUSE

In The Dollhouse, 2012 is a 10-part sequential narrative that takes place within an adultsized dollhouse belonging to Barbie and Ken, the idealized American couple and plastic icons of Western culture. More than any other childhood construct, Barbie represents the concept that beauty is the apex trait, and is necessary to attain power and happiness. Her costar Ken, who has been trapped in an imposed marriage for over three decades, discovers his authentic self and finally expresses his individuality. Barbie’s fate is grim, as she breaks down and confronts her own value and fleeting relevance. In the Dollhouse exhibits in large scale and is included in the Bogota PhotoMuseo collection.

GODS OF SUBURBIA

Gods Of Suburbia, 2014 is an exploration of established and fringe religions. Contemplative and complex, the project took two years to complete. Gods Of Suburbia places deities — drawn from polytheistic to Abrahamic traditions — in everyday situations by offering an iconoclastic interpretation of how ancient belief systems fit into modernity’s three pillars: technology, science and secularism. The surreal incongruities that were created challenges viewers to contemplate the relevance of ancient ethics and morals in a society characterized by materialism and consumerism. Gods Of Suburbia is exhibited as prints and analog transparency mounts on plexi, combined with custom-built light panels.

Artwork