How Laurel Nakadate uses performance to confront vulnerability and power
Explore the intersection of gender, sexuality, and historical memory. This conversation features artist Laurel Nakadulate alongside curators Marina Isgro and Lily Siegel, examining how Nakadate’s video and photography work navigates the profound weight of tragedy and the everyday.
The discussion delves into Nakadate’s practice of using video and photography to address themes of power, sexuality, and vulnerability. A central focus is her 2005 work, Greater New York, filmed in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks. The piece captures Nakadate performing various actions in New York City, such as conversing with an older man or staring into the smoke from the collapsed Twin Towers.
The interview also highlights Nakadate's use of historical allusion. In one recurring image, she wears a Girl Scout uniform and salutes, a gesture referencing Dorothea Lange’s iconic photograph of Japanese American children facing internment during World War II. Her work is held in prestigious collections, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art.
Source: Laurel Nakadate: On Tragedy and the Everyday (Interview Only)
