Kenji Nakahashi
Japanese, (1947–2017)
Kenji Nakahashiwas born in Sakauchi (present-day Ibigawa), a small village in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Raised in Nagoya, a large port city in Japan’s central Honshu region, Nakahashi went on to receive both a bachelor’s and a master’s in fine arts from Aichi Prefecture University of Fine Arts and Music. In 1973, he traveled to Paris and New York, settling permanently in the latter, where he launched his career as an artist. While in New York, Nakahashi continued his formal studies in art; in 1975 he studied at Pratt Institute’s Graphics Center and in 1980 at the Art Students League.
Best known for his concept-driven photographs, Nakahashi worked actively with a variety of mediums including drawing, painting, printmaking, and photography. His photography expresses a fascination with the mundanity of daily life, calling attention to the many objects that play a critical, yet enigmatic role within it. In his studio, Nakahashi frequently created staged scenes for his camera in order to realize his creative visions, drawing on both his knowledge of photography and the many other media in which he worked. He also created a significant body of work outside of his studio, on the streets of New York, where he experimented with new ways of photographing the city’s built landscape. Approaching his content with an interest in abstraction and essential form, he elevated the everyday into the extraordinary by creating altered situations or directions that rendered it anew.
Japanese, (1947–2017)
Kenji Nakahashiwas born in Sakauchi (present-day Ibigawa), a small village in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Raised in Nagoya, a large port city in Japan’s central Honshu region, Nakahashi went on to receive both a bachelor’s and a master’s in fine arts from Aichi Prefecture University of Fine Arts and Music. In 1973, he traveled to Paris and New York, settling permanently in the latter, where he launched his career as an artist. While in New York, Nakahashi continued his formal studies in art; in 1975 he studied at Pratt Institute’s Graphics Center and in 1980 at the Art Students League.
Best known for his concept-driven photographs, Nakahashi worked actively with a variety of mediums including drawing, painting, printmaking, and photography. His photography expresses a fascination with the mundanity of daily life, calling attention to the many objects that play a critical, yet enigmatic role within it. In his studio, Nakahashi frequently created staged scenes for his camera in order to realize his creative visions, drawing on both his knowledge of photography and the many other media in which he worked. He also created a significant body of work outside of his studio, on the streets of New York, where he experimented with new ways of photographing the city’s built landscape. Approaching his content with an interest in abstraction and essential form, he elevated the everyday into the extraordinary by creating altered situations or directions that rendered it anew.
Artist Objects
