All are Welcome | Jean Nagai

White Gallery | April 3–27, 2017

Reception: Friday, April 7, 6–8 p

Curated by Paul Maziar

Selected paintings & installation, responding to the U.S. anti-immigration policy.

Humanity has migrated since the beginning of humanity for access to a better life. Whether for climate, opportunity or safety, humans move — most often across vast bodies of water.

We’re all immigrants.

No border can contain us;

we flow like water across the seas.

Jean Nagai is a visual artist living in Olympia, Washington. Born in 1979, he is inspired by the abundant natural world of the Pacific Northwest, the contemporary pop cultural landscape and the subtle areas of the color gradient. His work is often abstractly representative of complex patterns imbued with the texture and movement of seaweed, clouds and embroidery. Working with collage, sumi ink and spray paint, he is in dialogue with the micro and macro, fluently employing minute pen strokes in large scale imagery in installations and murals. He has developed a visual vocabulary reflecting the confluence of nature and mass culture, manifested utilizing traditional and experimental techniques. He received his B.A. in Fine Art at The Evergreen State College.