Jean Nagai

Lives and works in Los Angeles, CA, USA

Artist statement

Jean Isamu Nagai (b.1979 Seattle, WA) is a Los Angeles based painter, but spent most of his life in the Pacific Northwest. Jean was raised by immigrant parents, who were brought up in a chaotic post World War 2 Japan. The trauma of war fostered in them a strong sense of compassion for others, as well as a deep and protective reverence for nature. They passed these values on to Jean, who strives to articulate his own loving relationship with nature through art. His deliberately slow, meditative practice has led him to feel that all living things have a shining soul, and nurturing this light with kindness and respect (as opposed to a “survival of the fittest'' mentality) is essential to our survival as co-habitants of Earth. Jean has shown work in several major cities in the US; as well as Japan, China, and Thailand.

Artwork