Born in 1975, Shinji Nagabe is a Brazilian artist of Japanese heritage whose work explores the intersections of cultural identity and personal discovery. Since relocating to Europe in 2014, Nagabe has focused on developing a deeply personal series of textile-based artworks, drawing from his experiences of cultural adaptation and his recent exploration of his homosexuality. The soft sculptures he creates challenge conventional perceptions of how traditions and lived experiences shape both individual and collective identities, inviting viewers to reflect on the complexities of belonging and the fluid exchanges catalyzed by globalization.
Nagabe’s hybrid technique, influenced by his background as a professionalphotographer, merges photographic images printed on textiles with industrialmaterials such as plastic beads, flowers, and curtain rods. These meticulously hand-crafted compositions reimagine the traditional diorama, transforming it into avibrant and surreal medium for personal storytelling. Through his dioramas, Nagabecritiques globalization with both playful and incisive commentary, highlighting thechaotic layering of cultural and visual references that define contemporary life. Hiswork engages with stereotypes while celebrating the intricate interplay ofoverlapping cultural narratives.
(2016), and was selected for the HSBC Photography Prize (2018) under the artistic direction of Raphaelle Stopin, artistic director of the Rouen Photography Center. In 2019, the fictional photographic series "República das Bananas" was selected as a finalist for the Louis Roederer Prize at the 50th edition of the Rencontres de la Photographie d'Arles.
