In early 2023, Craig Nagasawa had been creating a new series of charcoal drawings that addressed the complexities and histories of violence latent in his Japanese American identity. He portrayed mundane objects, such as record players, juxtaposed with mushroom clouds and nuclear detonation clocks. Working on several related drawings simultaneously, he began documenting his discoveries with stop-motion animated videos.

These clips soon began to take on a life of their own when Nagasawa put himself in front of the camera in various guises, including in Japanese clothing, sometimes obscuring his face with a hat or hood. This footage itself then became the source for new mineral pigment paintings, such as Invisible JA (2023), which focuses attention on his individuality, a way of countering the facelessness that can sometimes be the consequence of the imposition of group identity. Often working from video frames where he is frozen in an unbalanced position, the work nullifies motion, and depicts a character caught in the act, refusing expected narratives, and revealing human vulnerabilities.

Mineral pigment paintings are a deliberately slow and laborious process, but Nagasawa is simultaneously expanding his use of time based media, which allows him to work quickly.

Presenting several characters simultaneously, all performed by himself, he explores different aspects of his identity. Dressed in traditional Japanese robes, or as a cowboy, miner, or construction worker, he performs repetitive, almost absurdist actions: walking on screen and tipping his hat, digging holes with a shovel, removing his robe, jumping and flying through the air, or gesturing towards the viewer. This open-ended action is performed in front of his drawings, as though on a theatrical stage, an impression reinforced by his use of an eerie, layered soundscape that includes explosions, mournful wind, and driving rhythms.

In a time of violence and insecurity, Craig’s work offers an alternative to political events through individual narratives.