Ei Arakawa-Nash, a Japanese American performance artist, was selected to represent Japan at the 61st Venice Biennale, becoming the first non-Japanese national to do so in a solo presentation. This follows his first solo museum exhibition, "Paintings Are Popstars," at Tokyo's National Art Center in 2024, which was also the center's first solo show devoted to a performance artist. In an interview with ArtReview, Arakawa-Nash discusses his naturalization as a U.S. citizen, his complex relationship with national identity, and his upcoming Venice exhibition titled "Grass Babies, Moon Babies," cocurated by Lisa Horikawa and Takahashi Mizuki, which will explore themes of care and reparation using babies as a central motif.
This article matters because it highlights a significant shift in national representation at a major international art event, challenging traditional notions of nationality and identity in the art world. Arakawa-Nash's selection and his planned interventions at the Japan Pavilion underscore how performance artists can disrupt rigid institutional frameworks, while his personal journey—giving up Japanese nationality and becoming a parent—reflects broader conversations about belonging, bureaucracy, and the evolving role of artists in addressing social and political issues through their work.