Vicki DaSilva

Vicki DaSilva is a light graffiti and light painting photography pioneer. She has been making single frame time exposure photographs at night since 1980. She is credited with creating the term ‘light graffiti'. Her art practice has been devoted exclusively to light painting photography.
 

DaSilva moved to NYC in 1983 after receiving her BFA from Kutztown University of PA. While at KU she met Keith Haring, a Kutztown, PA native. She was heavily influenced by the convergence of street and graffiti art during the birth of hip-hop that created a lasting graffiti love affair with light replacing spray paint.

DaSilva did an internship and worked as an assistant for several years with internationally acclaimed video and performance artist Joan Jonas. Through Jonas she was introduced to many historically significant artists including Richard Serra, for whom she worked as a personal assistant throughout the 80’s. Her first full time job in NYC was as photographer Gary Schneider’s first B&W darkroom assistant. In 1985 she went on to print for Time, Inc and then to work as a Photo Editor for HBO until moving to Europe in 1989. She returned to the US in 1993 and is based in Allentown, PA. She was Photo Editor for Rodale Inc's Runner's World magazine from 2000-2003. She has been a full time artist since 2003 exhibiting regularly in NYC.

DaSilva’s work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions at Art Miami NYC, SCOPE Miami Beach, Dorsky Curatorial Projects, Lesley Heller Workspace, Woodward Gallery, Snap! Orlando Photo Festival, NADA Art Fair, Context Art Miami, Fountain Art Fair, Center for Photography at Woodstock, and Silver Eye Center for Photography, among many others. Her work was included in the catalog Light Art from Artificial Light, ZKM Museum for Contemporary Art, Karlsruhe, Germany. In 2012 DaSilva was the solo winner of the international competition Art Takes Times Square that resulted in her work being featured on the cover of the New York Times Arts section as well as on the 13 major digital billboards of the Times Square Midnight Moment art program.