Osamu James Nakagawa: Kai: 廻 Following the Cycle of Life
Kai questions the link between the self, parent, and child as it relates to my family’s heritage and histories. It concerns itself with finding points of connection and disconnection between actual and constructed memories on both cultural and familial levels.
I began this series in 1998 when I found out my father was dying of cancer. I started to photograph my father as a way to understand and accept his illness and progression towards the end of his life. At that time, my wife was also pregnant with our daughter. Through photography, I began to understand the cyclical nature of life and death.
Over the past twenty years since starting this series, I have continued to photograph my family members, including my mother, who passed away twelve years ago. My mother lived alone for twelve years in Japan, following my father’s passing. As she continued to age, we started to notice her physical and mental fragility, and we made the decision to place her into an assisted care facility in Tokyo. She found adapting to her new environment was a difficult process, and the distance between the family scattered across the globe put additional strain on us. Because of these changes, Kai evolved to focus on my mother as she transitioned towards the end of her life.
Through the process of photographing, I have noticed other transitions in my family life, such as my daughter starting to mature. At the beginning of the series, she had not yet been born, and now she is a young woman.
Kai series weaves images that connect generations. The core message in this body of work is universal. It is about family, time, and connection to our ancestors. Kai is the circle that keeps turning.
As I turn sixty-three, I am nearing the age my father was when he passed away. When I look at myself in the mirror every morning, I see him. As I reflect on this work, I only realized how fast time has cycled. I observed my family go through different stages of life, yet I recognize now that Iam no longer an observer. I am a part of this cycle.
Organizer
Founded as the Oregon Center for the Photographic Arts by a group of five young photographers in 1975, Blue Sky quickly established itself as an important venue for local photography. In a short period of time, the organization expanded its offerings to include national and international artists, many of whom exhibited at Blue Sky early in their careers. Blue Sky’s special endeavor continues to be the exhibition of emerging and established artists that exemplify the finest in photographic vision and innovation. As such, Blue Sky has earned the accolade as having “the best record of discovering new photographers of any artists’ space in the country.” Today, from our 3,700-square-foot facility in Portland’s historic DeSoto Building, Blue Sky presents 20 – 25 exhibitions annually, maintains a public research library, showcases regional photographers in an annual juried exhibition of original works in its Pacific Northwest Drawers, and offers artist talks and programs — all free to the public.