Identity - Laurel Nakadate

By Rachel Semanski

Website: Stay the Same, Never Change read in large letters, as the home page opens, based with a drop-shadow background.  Immediately, this image on the cover screams signs of youth rebellion and risky identity seeking.

The Schedule Page is cleanly organized with white text for the black background. It also includes date of event, location of the event, and what she will be doing such as speaking or displaying art. She attends a lot of universities, art fairs, and museums.

The Wolf Knife Page advertises a work of film-making art produced by Nakadate's film that is now available on DVD called The Wolf Knife. By only looking at the screen shot of the movie provided by the website, I view it interpreted it as two people currently suffering in a grieving relationship; possibly questioning each other's identity. The room is filled with separation caused by the toxic air from their "love" and coming to terms with save or loss.

Nakatade's Video Page lists her film-making archive from 2000-201. Some of the titles include I Wanna be Your Mid-Life Crisis, Don't You Want Somebody to Love You?, I Want to be the One to Walk in the Sun, Fever Dream, Beautiful Places to Hide a Body or Make-Out, and Try to See it My Way. By looking at most of these titles, I can analyze these videos lean towards feelings of loss, trying to seek answers, a sense of exploring surroundings, an urge for risk taking.

The Photographs Page provides a link that sends the viewer to her artwork.

Artist's work
In both her photographs and videos, Nakadate creates chilling scenarios, sensing darkness and confusion. For her films, specifically speaking The Wolf Knife and Stay the Same, Never Change, the trailers offer senses of uncomfortableness, being alone in a big open space, searching, wandering, looking up at the clouds for answers, a loss of identity. When viewing her photography I realized her human subjects are lit, where the background is almost close to pitch black. This is practiced in Relations and Star Portraits. I feel it amplifies the person's identity, it brightens their soul. Her photographs relate to pain felt when trying to distinguish one's identity in 365 Days. Lucky Tiger looks like the subject, Laurel herself, is trying to express her identity and let it shine. Most of her subjects are put on the spotlight, so they hold the boldest identity; small depth of field, really focused in on the subjects and their detail.

The CV Page lists where she's from; Austin, TX, born 1975. It also lists all the work she has done in her lifetime so far.

Website Overview
I think the website was very easy to use and well organized. I did not like the lack of follow-up information on her works; for example, they listed her films and a screen shot for each, but there was no clip or even a little description of it; all I can assume is what is shown on the title and the one image. The website doesn't give a biography about the artist; I want to know where she's from, what inspires her; I want to know what she thinks about her work and where did this topic of identity come from? Not even a quote spoken from the artist.

Artwork Overview
Nakadate touches on the topics of identity; trying to figure out onself and the life around you.one's self. She normally produces darkness to the photo, Her photographs are dark, which produces negative feelings; negative feels of identity. Her artwork can relate to anyone and relates to identity issues of the LGBT community, college students, children, even grown adults who feel like they got their life under control working at Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.

My Overview
Sometimes I find myself with these issues: Where do I stand? What is my purpose? As an artist, I try to look for my identity as a photographer, as well as in my artwork. After reading up on Nakadate has inspired me to  I will now focus more on the identity of in my photographs, as well as myself as an artist. An Identity is about having a consistent style, which Nakadate has: and it was the consistent style of loss and negative feelings. Her artwork has an identity.

2 questions
-How do you identify with your work?
-When people look at your work, what do you want them to identify?