Laurel Nakadate facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Laurel Nakadate
Laurel Nakadate, 2012
Born	1975 (age 49–50) Austin, Texas, United States
Alma mater	School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Yale University
Known for	photography, video, film

Laurel Nakadate (born 1975) is an American artist who creates videos, films, and photographs. She is known for her unique way of exploring human connections and feelings in her art. Laurel Nakadate lives and works in New York City.

About Laurel Nakadate

Laurel Nakadate was born in 1975 in Austin, Texas. She grew up in Ames, Iowa. She studied art at two important universities. In 1998, she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree from Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts. Later, in 2001, she received a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in photography from Yale University.

Where Her Art Is Shown

Laurel Nakadate's artwork is displayed in many famous museums. These include the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. Her art can also be seen at the Yale University Art Gallery and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). The Guggenheim Museum and the Saatchi Gallery also have her pieces.

In 2005, Laurel Nakadate had a special art show called "Love Hotel and Other Stories." This show was talked about in The New York Times. A famous art critic, Jerry Saltz, called her work "standout" at another big show in New York.

Her art has been shown all over the world. This includes the Getty Museum in Los Angeles and the Asia Society in New York. Her work has also been seen in Madrid, Spain, and at the Berlin Biennial in Germany. A large show of her art from ten years, called Only the Lonely, was at MoMA PS1 in New York in 2011.

Her Films

Laurel Nakadate has also made feature-length films. Her first movie, Stay The Same Never Change, was shown for the first time at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009. This festival is a big event for new movies. Her film was also part of the New Directors/New Films Festival in New York.

Her second film, The Wolf Knife, came out in 2010. It was nominated for two awards: a Gotham Award and an Independent Spirit Award.

Today, Laurel Nakadate continues to live and work in New York City. She also helps lead the graduate studies program at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Her Artistic Work

Laurel Nakadate often uses herself in her art. She records her interactions with people she doesn't know in different places. This helps her explore how people connect and behave.

Exploring Connections with Strangers

One of her early works was a film called Happy Birthday (2000). In this film, Laurel asked people she didn't know to celebrate her birthday with her. It wasn't her actual birthday, but she wanted to see what would happen. This film helped set the direction for her future art. She often explores the unexpected feelings that come from meeting new people. Through her art, she tries to show how she can be both the person creating the situation and also part of it. She explores her identity as an Asian American woman through these interactions.

Themes of Control and Storytelling

Two other important works by Nakadate are Beg For Your Life (2006) and Oops (2007). These works look at ideas of who is in charge in a situation. Laurel Nakadate often puts herself in situations with others to show how she controls the story. She wants to show that women can be powerful in how they interact with others.

She also worked with artist James Franco on a live performance in 2011. It was called Three Performances in Search of Tennessee. Her newer photography project, Relations, explores her own family history. She takes photos of her distant relatives to learn more about her background.

Discussions About Her Art

Laurel Nakadate's art has led to some interesting discussions. People have talked about how her work explores ideas of identity and how different people are seen in society.

Some critics have wondered about the ethics of her work. They question if she is "manipulating" the people she interacts with. However, the Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects gallery in New York explains that in her art, everyone is playing a part. They say understanding this idea is key to understanding Laurel Nakadate's unique artistic style.