I was born in the United States, but much of my life has been divided between Japan and America. As a result, I feel like a stranger to both Japanese and English languages and cultures. Photography has become my expressive bridge. Market Arcade Windows Project from the "Drive-in Theatre" and "Billboard" series In the "screen" series I use the idea of a frame within a frame. I digitally paste images I have photographed - which in my view represent some aspect of American culture - onto various types of screens that are abandoned, decayed, or decadently displayed. The nostalgic mythology of the drive-in theater is juxtaposed with explicitly public and political messages. Similarly, the commercial nature of the billboard is subverted. Recently I have added modern T.V. monitor screens found in major metropolitan cities and juxtaposed them with images that similarly question modes of Modernity, communication, and themes of American/Japanese culture. The series as a whole proposes a critical inspection of Western society from my particular viewpoint, which is Eastern in origin and Western in immersion.   -Osamu James Nakagawa   I was born in NYC in 1962. At seven months of age my Japanese-born parents took me and my older brother to Japan. We lived there for 15 years. In 1987, my family returned to the United States where I attended high school in Houston where I had a difficult time learning English. After high school my parents returned to Japan and I stayed to continue my education. I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of St. Thomas in Houston in 1986 and received my MFA from the University of Houston in 1993. I have been taking trips to Japan all of my life and am constantly surprised by the strength of the culture shock I experience as I move from one country to the other. The traumatic duality I felt while growing up has reached a new point of equilibrium where I can now merge quickly with either culture. While I am neither a stranger nor a native of either place, I recently have found comfort in my assimilation of both cultures. As my work is based on my experiences, the fascination of cross-cultural comparison is reflected in my work. The screen series subverts standard icons of American culture with unexpected environments. By changing the context of this familiar imagery, the viewer becomes an observer and is intended to witness his/her culture as a stranger. While the images are often easily recognized, added layers of foreground and background are intended to give the viewer a new distance. This relates directly to the cultural experiences I face when visiting Japan or returning to the United States. This distance allows me to observe the genre of both worlds with the perspective of the perennial visitor.   Public Art - Market Arcade Complex 617 Main Street Buffalo NY 14203