Laurel Nakadate \ Only The Lonely

Laurel Nakadate \ Only The Lonely

Coming January 23, photographer and filmmaker Laurel Nakadate will open her first large-scale exhibition at New York’s art space PS1. The show will feature works made by Nakadate over the last ten years, including her early video works, in which she was invited into the homes of anonymous men to dance, pose, or even play dead in their kitchens, bedrooms, and living rooms. Once she arrived home with them, Nakadate filmed everything that happened. These videos are bizarre but awkwardly intriguing.

A more recent work called Good Morning, Sunshine (2009) shows Nakadate entering the bedrooms of young women, waking them, and instructing each of the girls to strip down to their underwear in front of the camera. The exhibition will also be the premiere of Nakadate’s latest photographic series, 365 Days: A Catalogue Of Tears. These photographs document a yearlong performance in which the artist documented herself before, during, and after weeping each day. All of the artist’s pieces revolve around the themes of voyeurism, loneliness, the manipulative power of the camera and the urge to connect with others. Go check out her show at PS1 if you’re in the area. Only The Lonely is on display through August 8.