Dash Snow
A downtown New York art-world provocateur who documented the raw, hedonistic underbelly of the early 2000s with Polaroid and grit.
1981–2009 (age 28)·American artist·Birthday: July 27·Millennials
Biography
Dash Snow emerged not from art school but from the streets and squats of Lower Manhattan, a descendant of the wealthy de Menil family who rejected that world for one of chaotic creation. His life and art were inextricably linked, a performance of anarchic rebellion. Using primarily Polaroid cameras and collage, he captured an intimate, unfiltered view of his circle's exploits—drug use, graffiti, parties, and moments of tender exhaustion. These images were raw diaries that critiqued and celebrated a lifestyle on the edge. Snow, along with friends like Dan Colen and Ryan McGinley, formed a loose movement that brought downtown's gritty energy into the white cube of the gallery. His work, often shown in installations littered with the detritus of his life, challenged the sanitized commercial art world. His death from a drug overdose in 2009 at age 27 cemented his status as a tragic figure of a specific, fleeting moment in New York's cultural history, a documentarian of his own dissolution.
Millennials
1981–1996
The first digital natives. Grew up with the internet, came of age during 9/11 and the 2008 crash. Highly educated, deeply indebted, slower to marry and buy houses. Redefined work, identity, and what it means to be an adult.
Dash was born in 1981, placing them squarely in the Millennials. The events that shaped this generation — the internet revolution, 9/11, and the 2008 financial crisis — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dash Was Born
The biggest hits of 1981
#1 Movie
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Best Picture
Chariots of Fire
#1 TV Show
Dallas
Dash's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1981Born
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1986Started school
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1994Became a teenager
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
1997Could drive
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
1999Could vote
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2002Turned 21
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2009Died at 28
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
Key Achievements
- Had solo exhibitions at major galleries like Peres Projects in Berlin and Deitch Projects in New York.
- His work was included in the 2006 Whitney Biennial, a key survey of contemporary American art.
- Created the infamous 'Nest' installations, chaotic hotel room environments filled with shredded phone books and graffiti.
- His Polaroid series provided an influential, insider's view of the 2000s New York underground art scene.
Did You Know?
He was a great-grandson of Dominique de Menil, the famed philanthropist and art collector who founded the Menil Collection in Houston.
He was a member of the IRA (Irak) graffiti crew in New York City.
He once traded a piece of his artwork for a tattoo sleeve from famed tattoo artist Scott Campbell.
A documentary about his life and circle, 'The Legend of the Underground', was released after his death.
“I'm not an artist; I'm just trying to document my life.”
