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Artist: Arata Nakamura (Japan, Yokohama)
NOT FOR SALE. This work is part of the exhibition and is not available for purchase.
Year: 2026 | Medium: Collage on Noh mask / Duct tape / Cardboard | Dimensions: 38 x 31 centimeters | Display: Wall-hung (2D)
Artist Statement
This work uses collage as a way to question images that are usually accepted without thinking. By cutting and recombining existing materials, I try to shift their meaning and create a small break in how they are normally seen.
The use of Noh masks,symbols of tradition, role, and authority,combined with references to rock’n’roll and punk culture introduces a tension between order and disruption. These images already carry strong meanings, but when placed together, they begin to contradict each other. That contradiction is where the work exists.
For me, collage is not just a technique, but a way of resisting fixed interpretations. It allows me to take something that feels established or untouchable, and treat it as material,something that can be cut, rearranged, and redefined.
This work is not trying to give a clear answer. Instead, it creates a space where authority, symbolism, and cultural identity can be seen from a slightly different angle. Even a small shift in context can change how we understand what we are looking at.
That act of shifting,of interrupting what feels given,is, for me, a form of resistance.
About the Artist
Arata Nakamura is a Japan-based collage artist working with vintage materials, printed matter, and found imagery. His practice is rooted in a rock’n’roll sensibility and the idea of sampling,cutting, tearing, and reassembling fragments from music, history, and popular culture.
With a background in music, he approaches collage like DJing: mixing references, shifting context, and creating new meanings through collision. His work often balances humour with tension, aiming for images that feel immediate, raw, and slightly off.
Rather than escaping reality, Nakamura works within it,using the language of vintage culture and rock’n’roll to question authority, authenticity, and how images are consumed.
https://www.instagram.com/arata_nakamura_collage
Pulp Stiction: Collage as an Act of Resistance. Hopkins Hall Gallery, OSU, Oct 26 to Dec 11, 2026.
Artist: Arata Nakamura (Japan, Yokohama)
NOT FOR SALE. This work is part of the exhibition and is not available for purchase.
Year: 2026 | Medium: Collage on Noh mask / Duct tape / Cardboard | Dimensions: 38 x 31 centimeters | Display: Wall-hung (2D)
Artist Statement
This work uses collage as a way to question images that are usually accepted without thinking. By cutting and recombining existing materials, I try to shift their meaning and create a small break in how they are normally seen.
The use of Noh masks,symbols of tradition, role, and authority,combined with references to rock’n’roll and punk culture introduces a tension between order and disruption. These images already carry strong meanings, but when placed together, they begin to contradict each other. That contradiction is where the work exists.
For me, collage is not just a technique, but a way of resisting fixed interpretations. It allows me to take something that feels established or untouchable, and treat it as material,something that can be cut, rearranged, and redefined.
This work is not trying to give a clear answer. Instead, it creates a space where authority, symbolism, and cultural identity can be seen from a slightly different angle. Even a small shift in context can change how we understand what we are looking at.
That act of shifting,of interrupting what feels given,is, for me, a form of resistance.
About the Artist
Arata Nakamura is a Japan-based collage artist working with vintage materials, printed matter, and found imagery. His practice is rooted in a rock’n’roll sensibility and the idea of sampling,cutting, tearing, and reassembling fragments from music, history, and popular culture.
With a background in music, he approaches collage like DJing: mixing references, shifting context, and creating new meanings through collision. His work often balances humour with tension, aiming for images that feel immediate, raw, and slightly off.
Rather than escaping reality, Nakamura works within it,using the language of vintage culture and rock’n’roll to question authority, authenticity, and how images are consumed.
https://www.instagram.com/arata_nakamura_collage
Pulp Stiction: Collage as an Act of Resistance. Hopkins Hall Gallery, OSU, Oct 26 to Dec 11, 2026.