Yu Tsukada｜Bodies Emerged by Moving Images: Special Screening "Fire in Water: Kosuke Nagata Video Works" (Part 1)
A review of Kosuke Nagata's video works, exploring food, colonialism, and the body through his films.Summary
This article is the first part of a critical essay by Yu Tsukada on Kosuke Nagata's video works, coinciding with the special screening "Fire in Water: Kosuke Nagata Video Works." Nagata's central theme is food, which encompasses diverse culinary characteristics, mutual influences, and relationships with colonial rule. For instance, "Purée" (2020) focuses on the act of cooking, arguing that purées and mousses purify the savagery of eating by tearing with teeth. It then examines the mouth as an organ for both eating and speaking, referencing Occupy Wall Street protests where human voices were used to repeat messages when loudspeakers were restricted. After "Purée," Nagata shifted to performance-based cooking, but recently returned to video. "Fire in Water" (2025), filmed in South Korea, depicts the irreversible impact of Japanese colonial rule on brewing and rice cultivation. The work features a constant background sound of fermenting bubbles, creating a striking contrast with its documentary format. "Suddenly This Overview" (2026) examines a Japanese cemetery in Cowra, Australia, and an adjacent Japanese garden, focusing on how Australian vegetation is "reinterpreted" as a Japanese landscape. The second part is scheduled for release on October 14, 2026.
(Source：artscape)