Kota Nakamura

Silicon boxes, glass plates, and thin brass sheets. A bullet is embedded in each of these objects, cracking the lines on the surfaces so smooth and shiny that they even feel cold. A bullet dents, shatters, and destroys everything. Kota Nakamura is a young Japanese sculptor who seeks harmony by breaking down boundaries. The bullets in these pure objects are a shocking contrast at first, but it creates a new harmony rather than a disconnection.

Born in Japan and educated in the United States, Nakamura describes himself as “a California roll on a state-of-the-art sushi conveyor belt.” Sushi symbolizes Japanese tradition, and the California roll symbolizes modern culture adapted to Western (or modern) tastes. After graduating from Syracuse University’s School of Visual Arts in New York, he returned to the University of Tokyo to pursue his doctoral studies and solidify his artistic perspective. Nakamura completed the Bullet by going abroad and firing live ammunition at the works.

This year, Nakamura is bringing four works to Kiaf. Fracture 2 is a striking work in which a bullet fired into a piece of silicone rotates within it, gradually opening the top in the shape of a flower. Border is a combination of cool turquoise and warm-colored film, reflecting the moment when the glass breaks. Mach 1 S is a black mirror with a bullet hole and a bullet, reminiscent of a lightning bolt. The viewer’s face is reflected and becomes part of the work. Perforate captures the moment when a bullet passes through several gold plates and stops at the last one. It symbolizes the destructive energy of space and time.

“Destructive forces are ubiquitous. The existing world, environment or people are damaged or transformed by it, but it’s only for a moment. What is trying to destroy and what is destroyed by it create harmony with each other at some point, and that’s what I wanted to talk about. The glass on the verge of breaking, with its mixture of aesthetics and violent emotions, is like the people nowadays,” he says.

Before he became a full-time artist, Nakamura worked part-time and looked for other jobs. In the end, he summoned the courage to devote himself to art full-time. “My mission is to contribute to the art world and help more people live happily,” he says, “and one of my goals is to exhibit at the Kassel Documenta in Germany or the Venice Biennale and do ambitious architectural works.”

Having lived in New York for so long, he is also close to Korea. He has also developed strong friendships with Korean friends. “I couldn’t be happier to submit my work to the internationally renowned Kiaf and to have been selected as HIGHLIGHT,” he says, “and I couldn’t be happier to show my work in Korea.”

Border, bullet, glass, film, 45×45×1cm(each), 2019