Koji Nagai

Koji Nagai is a Japanese artist, born in 1950 in Hiroshima, known for his collages. He studied graphic design at Hiroshima Design College. Following this, he worked as a freelance designer for posters, brochures and calendars. Later, he discovered the art of collage and got involved in this form of art which leads to great artistic freedom and gives free rein to the imagination.

In his artistic approach, Nagai claims to be influenced by artists like Tadanori Yokoo, considered to be the Japanese Andy Warhol, painters like Shinro Ohtake and Tadashi Tonoshiki, the American sculptor Joseph Cornell and German artist Kurt Schwitters.

For his collages, he draws inspiration from several materials, images, stamps, boxes, couture and pin buttons. Reading art books is also a determining factor, and translates into subtle references in his works. All these elements which are put together, despite their differences or their obvious incompatibility, interact and communicate with one another. The artist confronts aspects like old and new, reality and fiction, life and death...This leads to surrealistic collages, filled with details. In addition to his works on cardboard, Koji Nagai also creates digital collages printed on paper, but in limited edition.

Koji Nagai has done some personal exhibitions and several publications in the press, in USA and Japan. Moreover, he has also taken part in literary projects, like his collaboration with the American poet, Andrew Topel.