Dashiell Alexander Whitney Snow (July 27, 1981 – July 13, 2009) was an American artist based in New York City. Snow's photographs included scenes of sex, drugs, violence, and the art world; his work often depicted the decadent lifestyle of young New York City artists and their social circle.
Early life and education
Dashiell Alexander Whitney Snow was born on July 27, 1981, to Taya Thurman and Christopher Snow. He grew up on the Upper West Side in New York City. Snow and his siblings, Maxwell and Caroline, are descendants of the de Menil family, who are known for their philanthropy and collection of American art.
As a teenager, Snow began taking photographs to document the places he might not remember the next day. In the 1990s, he was a member of the IRAK graffiti crew; the name of the group was a reference to shoplifting, or racking. In order to sign his work, Snow used the tag "SACE" or "SACER".
His first solo photography exhibition took place in 2005.
In 2007, Snow and Dan Colen co-created an installation of shredded phone books in Jeffrey Deitch's SoHo gallery; the exhibit was named “Nest” or “Hamster Nest”.
In his later collage-based work, Snow used his semen as a material applied to or splashed across newspaper photographs of police officers and other authority figures.
In July 2007, his partner, Jade Berreau, gave birth to the couple's daughter, Secret Midnight Magic Nico.
Death and legacy
On July 13, 2009, Snow died of a drug overdose while staying at the Lafayette House hotel in New York City. He was 27 years old.
In 2016, his family sued McDonald's after they refused to remove the tag "SACE" from the graffiti-themed interior design used in some European and Asian restaurants; the case was later dismissed.
A documentary film about Snow, Moments Like This Never Last, was released in 2020.
Publications
Slime The Boogie. Berlin/Los Angeles: Peres Projects, 2007.
Gang bang at ground zero. New York City: self-published, 2007. Zine. Produced in collaboration with Christopher Snow.
The End of Living, the Beginning of Survival. Berlin: Contemporary Fine Arts, 2007. ISBN978-3931355425.
I'd rather drink muddy water, and sleep in a hollow log. Self-published / Contemporary Fine Arts Berlin, 2007. OCLC935823668. Includes "Skeletal love" by Raina Hammer.
God Spoiled a Perfect Asshole When He Put Teeth in Yer Mouth. Berlin/Los Angeles: Peres Projects Holdings, 2007. ISBN978-0977881994. Published on the occasion of an exhibition at Peres Projects, Los Angeles.
