Rian Dundon (b. 1980) is a photographer in Portland, Oregon. He is the author of the books Protest City (2023), Fan (2015), and Changsha (2012). Dundon is a contributing author at the Economic Hardship Reporting Project and a partner photographer with the Keystone-SDA agency in Zürich. In the mid-2000s Dundon lived in mainland China, where he taught English, worked in the local film industry, and got his start in photojournalism. Later he served as an editor for several publications and nonprofit organizations, including Raw View Magazine and Catchlight. Dundon has taught documentary photography at the San Francisco Art Institute, University of California, and the International Center of Photography. He holds an M.A. in Social Documentation from U.C. Santa Cruz and was a 2020 Magnum Foundation fellow.

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Photo by Robert Gumpert

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Reviews + publications

The New Yorker / “Revisiting Portland’s 'Summer of Rage'.” Mogelson, Luke. June 20, 2023.

Mother Jones / “Explosive Photos of Portland Amid the 2020 George Floyd Protests.” Murrmann, Mark. June 16, 2023.

The Washington Post / “Once lost, now found, cult classic photobook is available once again.” Dickerman, Kenneth. April 1, 2022.

Oregon Arts Watch / “Portraits of both sides: An interview with a protest photographer.” Andrews, Blake. Jan 28, 2021.

The Nation / “How Many Cameras Does One Protest Need?.” Dundon, Rian. Nov 3, 2020.

The Los Angeles Review of Books / “Second-Tier China.” Hershatter, Gail. Jan. 25, 2020.

Mother Jones / “Blood on the Sidewalk: A Look at the Political Clashes of the Trump Era.” Quart, Alissa. Oct. 25, 2019.

The New York Times / “How Fatherhood Alters Your View of the World.” Gonzalez, David. Feb. 20, 2019.

Hyperallergic / “Photos Capture the Rise of a Carefully Crafted Chinese Celebrity.” Voon, Claire. Mar. 23, 2016.

Boom: A Journal of California / “We Out Here.” Christensen, Jon. Jul. 3, 2014.

The International Herald Tribune / “Avoiding a ‘Prescribed Version’ of China.” McDonald, Mark. May 8, 2012.

Bibliography

Protest City. 2023. Corvallis: Oregon State University Press.

Changsha, 2nd edition. 2017. Shenzhen: Modes Vu.

Fan. 2015. Shenzhen: Modes Vu.

Changsha. 2012. Dublin: Emphas.is.

Going For Broke (anthology, edited by Alissa Quart + David Wallis). 2023. Chicago: Haymarket.

Status Update (exhibition catalog). 2015. Berkeley: Catchlight.

Photographs Not Taken (essays, edited by Will Steacy). 2012. New York: Daylight Books.

Solo + two person shows

(2018) Generations. Burnt Oak Gallery, Oakland, Calif.

(2017) New Life. Burnt Oak Gallery, Oakland, Calif.

(2014) Fan. Schwarzer Montag at Westflügel, Zürich, Switzerland.

(2014) Trust. Loakal Gallery, Oakland, Calif.

(2012) Changsha. Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, Santa Cruz, Calif.

(2009) OK China. Camera Club of New York, New York.

(2008) Chinese Youth. Gulf and Western Gallery, New York University, NYC.

Group shows

(2021) Re-Circulation. Re-fest 2021 at Culturehub, New York, NY.

(2019) New Works from the DPI Faculty and Alumni. NYU Tisch School of the Arts, New York.

(2015) Status Update. Catchlight at SOMArts, San Francisco, Calif.

(2015) City At Large II. Adolph Gasser Photography, San Francisco, Calif.

(2014) Guerrilla Slideshow (projection). Visa pour l’image, Perpignan, France.

(2011) Photo Stories. Saatchi and Saatchi, London.

(2011) Capricious: Being Fashion. Arnhem Mode Biennale, Netherlands.

(2010) Unpublished-Unknown. Fotografia Festival, Rome.

(2010) Chinese Film Sets. Caochangdi Photo Spring, Beijing.

(2010) Ian Parry Scholarship Exhibition. Getty Images Gallery, London.

(2008) Tierney Fellowship Group Show. New York Photo Festival, Brooklyn.

(2007) Transformations: Photography and Imaging at 25. New York University.

(2007) Chinese Youth (projection). Angkor Photography Festival, Siem Reap.

(2006) Flash Forward: Emerging Photographers 2006. Magenta Foundation, Toronto.

Fellowships + awards

(2020) Magnum Foundation / U.S. Dispatches Grant

(2020) Society for Features Journalism / 2nd place, Food feature (w/ Debra Utacia Krol)

(2017) Economic Hardship Reporting Project / Production grant

(2015) Economic Hardship Reporting Project / Production grant

(2015) Silicon Valley Community Foundation + New America Media / Informed Communities Education Reporting Fellowship

(2012) University of California / Porter Graduate Arts Research Committee Grant

(2011) University of California Santa Cruz / Humanities Division Research Fellowship

(2011) The Willis W. and Ethel M. Clark Foundation / Investment in Community Fellowship

(2010) University of California / UC Regents’ Fellowship

(2007) The Tierney Family Foundation / Tierney Fellowship

(2006) Magenta Foundation / Flash Forward: Emerging Photographers

Teaching

(2015-2017) San Francisco Art Institute – Visiting faculty, Documentary Photography

(2010-2012) University of California, Santa Cruz – Film + Digital Media; Dept. of Art

(2005-2007) Hunan University, China – Language Studies; Graduate Studies

(2004-2006) International Center of Photography, New York – Teaching assistant, Documentary Practice & Visual Journalism

Editing

(2015-2021) Contributing author, EHRP

(2016-2018) Photography editor, Timeline

(2015-2016) Editor + curator, Catchlight

(2014-2016) Sub editor, Raw View Magazine

Education

M.A. Social Documentation, University of California, Santa Cruz (2012)