Do Van Toan

Do Van Toan is a photographer who practiced in the 1970s in Tāmaki Makaurau, primarily exhibiting between 1971 to 1976. Much of his work that was shown publicly were close-ups of Aotearoa landscapes, capturing the textural qualities of natural environments, and close-range portraits of people he encountered while taking photographs at care facilities. Working largely in silver gelatin prints, his work captures an exploration of place and fascination with his surroundings, as well as curiosity for the form of photography.

Toan was born in Phuc-Yen, Vietnam. In 1952 his family relocated to Da Lat, a high-altitude city located in the south. During this period, Vietnam was part of French Indochina, a French colony, and as a child, Toan was educated in French. His uncle photographed their domestic lives and introduced Toan to photography.

In 1965 Toan gained a Colombo Plan scholarship to study civil engineering at the University of Auckland. While completing his PhD he began pursuing photography more seriously, initially to send photographs home to his family. He was part of an enterprising photography community in Tāmaki Makaurau at a crucial time when the medium was firming up its place as a form of contemporary art. In 1972, many of these artists were shown together in an exhibition at Barry Lett Gallery, including Toan, Gary Baigent, Simon Buis, Richard Collins, John Fields, Mac Miller, John Turner and Ans Westra. In reviewing this exhibition, Tom Hutchins wrote in New Zealand Photography (the publication that went on to become Photo Forum in 1974) of Toan’s work:

More in the ‘mainstream’ style of fine photography is Do Van Toan. He has one picture of an elderly female psychiatric patient which is a direct and moving portrait. But Otama Bay Rock, Coromandel Stream, and disused Maori Church, Coromandel Peninsula have rich tones and fine detailed renderings of materials and surfaces. They show a mature response to tangibles of the mood of New Zealand places.

Toan was the first photographer to exhibit at Petar/James Gallery, the enterprising dealer gallery run by brothers James and Petar Vuletic. This exhibition, held in 1972, the same year the gallery opened, showed works spanning three years of his photographic practice, including many of the same photographs showcased at Barry Lett. John B. Turner reviewed his work in New Zealand Photography: “Toan’s greatest affinity is undoubtedly with landscape, and in particular, with trees. He has discovered numerous examples of both - almost as many with the city as in the beautiful countryside.”

In 1972 Toan co-organised the exhibition Photographs: Universities Arts Festival alongside Paul Armstrong, for the annual showcase of current university students’ artwork.

Toan contributed to the magazine New Zealand Photography in the early 1970s, providing photo stories for print and acting as an Associate Editor of the February/March 1974 issue. In 1975 his photographs were included in The Active Eye: Contemporary New Zealand Photography at the Manawatu Art Gallery — a significant exhibition in the development of contemporary photography in New Zealand. In 1976 he had a solo exhibition at Snaps, a photography gallery that ran from 1975–1981 on Airedale Street in Tāmaki Makaurau. His work is part of the collection of the Te Manawa Art Society. As an artist and in many other capacities, Toan participated actively in the photography community during this period. There is little record of Toan exhibiting after the mid-1970s, but he continued to work in Aotearoa as an engineer.

1972 — Photographs, Barry Lett Galleries, Tāmaki Makaurau

1972 — Photographs by Do Van Toan, Peter/James Gallery, Tāmaki Makaurau

1975 — The Active Eye: Contemporary New Zealand Photography, Manawatu Art Gallery, Te Papaioea (also toured throughout Aotearoa)

1976 — Untitled solo exhibition, Snaps, Tāmaki Makaurau