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Laurel Nakadate

Laurel Nakadate Quotes

Artist

Laurel Nakadate is an American artist known for her unique photographic style and research into human emotions. Her work often focuses on personal relationships and identity, capturing moments from everyday life to reveal the complexity and fragility of human nature.

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All People Thinking World Video Feels Photography Want Way Art Looks Men Moments Ifs Trying Desire Discomfort Fall Ideas Stories Beautiful

Famous Laurel Nakadate Quotes

“I think it's a really good thing to put yourself in a situation where you feel really uncomfortable because I think things can come out of that discomfort.”

Thinking Feels Situation Good Things Uncomfortable Discomfort

Author:Laurel Nakadate

“I think my work is optimistic - as much as it is pathetic and funny and sad and ridiculous, at the end of the day it's about the hope that something will go right, and the constant wishing for a world where things might start to make sense.”

Thinking World Ends Might Wish Constant Ridiculous Optimistic Make Sense The End Of The Day Pathetic

Author:Laurel Nakadate

“A lot of people think that my work is about mocking or making fun of things, but a lot of it is about discomfort and making myself as uncomfortable as the men feel, or putting myself in a situation where I'm revealing my loneliness as much as they're revealing theirs.”

People Thinking Men Feels Fun Situation Loneliness He Man Uncomfortable Revealing Discomfort

Author:Laurel Nakadate

“Although I use myself in my videos, I really see myself as a character. When I look at myself, when I sit and edit, I never think, "That's me." I think, "This is a character, and how do I edit this to tell a story?"”

Thinking Looks Character Stories Use Video Edits

Author:Laurel Nakadate

“As people who make things, we have the ability to think of the most vile, awful things we can imagine, but it doesn't mean we believe those things. I allow myself to go places in my videos that I would never go in my real life.And I think that there has to be that place where you can create and not have to be living it in real life.”

People Thinking Believe Mean Real Ability Imagine Real Life Video Awful

Author:Laurel Nakadate

“Humans like to look. I think that voyeurism and exploitation are often used in the same sentence. But, in my opinion, voyeurism is a beautiful and delightful thing. There is nothing more intimate than really looking at someone.”

Thinking Humans Looks Beautiful Used Opinion Sentences Intimate Exploitation Delightful Delightful Things

Author:Laurel Nakadate

“I won't look it in the eye. As soon as I do, I get scared. You gotta walk the plank at some point, but at first you gotta put blinders on or you'll overthink things. I think it's dangerous, by the way, to do a lot of talks about your art, to do so much talking and so little making. You get the wrong idea about yourself.”

Thinking Way Firsts Looks Littles Art Ideas Eye Walks Talking Dangerous Scared About Yourself Blinders Wrong Ideas

Author:Laurel Nakadate

“The act of looking is brave. Especially if you look at things you can't handle. I think that most people do not look. If you're really paying attention you could have your heart broken twelve times a day. Most of the time we aren't looking.”

People Ifs Thinking Looks Heart Attention Broken Brave Handle Pay Attention Twelve Heart Broke

Author:Laurel Nakadate

“I think people like to have everything be perfectly morally clear. When the lines get blurred it worries them. I'm not worried. I don't think the men are either. But I think that the videos bring up feelings in people that they don't want to feel. Sometimes people get really mad. That's okay.”

People Thinking Men Want Feels Sometimes Feelings Lines Worry Clear He Man Okay Mad Video Worried Get Real

Author:Laurel Nakadate

“Sometimes it's good to get mad, sometimes it clarifies where we stand. I think that art has the ability to challenge and push, and that's great. That's better than great... it's necessary.”

Thinking Art Sometimes Challenges Ability Mad

Author:Laurel Nakadate

“I feel like I'm at a place in my life where I'm really strangely happy, and in awe of how great the world can be, and I think that's because I have gone through periods of looking at the world through a really melancholy lenses. It's all just flip sides of the same coin.”

Thinking World Feels Sides Gone Periods Awe Melancholy Coins Lenses Flip

Author:Laurel Nakadate

“I think most interesting people are socially awkward even if they're able to hide it most of the time. If Henry Darger hadn't been a shut-in would we love him so much? Any act that we do in private is amazing and profound because it is private. You don't have to worry about being socially awkward in the privacy of your own home... well, unless I show up.”

People Ifs Thinking Wells Shows Home Able Interesting Worry Profound Privacy Awkward Most Interesting Socially Awkward

Author:Laurel Nakadate

“I think that fact alone levels everything. Slapstick amazes me, the folly of humans today, the Ponzi schemes, giving birth to eight babies at once, it's amazing... And I know, it's horrible to have your money stolen and all that, but those are amazing stories.”

Thinking Knows Giving Humans Facts Stories Today Levels Baby Birth Eight Horrible Folly Schemes Stolen Giving Birth Slapstick Ponzi Scheme

Author:Laurel Nakadate

“Every time I hear that somebody died I think of their body, on a steel table in a morgue somewhere. I think of how they can do nothing about it.”

Thinking Body Can Do Died Tables Steel Morgues

Author:Laurel Nakadate

“I think we're put out into the world to forge relationships with people. Those can be as small as buying coffee from someone or as large as a marriage. The important thing is that we try to make connections or have experiences with other humans. Otherwise what's the point of being on this earth?”

People Thinking World Trying Humans Important Earth Connections Important Things Coffee Buying

Author:Laurel Nakadate

“I think it's a really good idea to be bumping into all kinds of people in all kinds of ways. So you make art with strangers. You give a reading. You move somewhere new and try to build a life. You grapple with humanity.”

People Thinking Way Giving Trying Kind Art Ideas Moving Humanity Reading Stranger All Kinds Good Ideas

Author:Laurel Nakadate

About the Author

Born: December 15, 1975
Known for: Artist
Quotes: 57

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People Thinking World Video Feels Photography Want Way Art Looks Men Moments Ifs Trying Desire Discomfort Fall Ideas Stories Beautiful

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People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

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