Excavations: Buried Cars and Other Stories
Patrick Nagatani, "Model A Woody, National Radio Astronomy Observatory (VLA), Plains of St. Agustin, New Mexico, U.S.A.," Ilfochrome print, Albuquerque Museum; gift of the artist and museum purchase. PC2016.49.25
A companion book accompanied the exhibition.
"Buried Cars: Excavations from Stonehenge to the Grand Canyon" by Patrick Nagatani with Joseph Traugott, published by the Museum of New Mexico Press. (Hardcover $34.95)
Albuquerque Museum was pleased to present "Excavations: Buried Cars and Other Stories." The exhibition featured the photographs of internationally-renowned Albuquerque artist and retired University of New Mexico professor Patrick Nagatani (1945-2017.)
The exhibition focused primarily on Nagatani's "Excavation series," documenting the purported excavation of 29 automobiles buried at energetic power sites around the world by a mysterious cult of shamans. Spanning three decades, the series challenged common beliefs regarding the veracity of the photographic image. The exhibition was accompanied by the book, "Buried Cars: from Stonehenge to the Grand Canyon," published by the Museum of New Mexico Press in association with the Albuquerque Museum.
Complementing the "Excavation" photographs, other select works from the Museum’s extensive collection of the artist thematically demonstrated how Nagatani’s sense of ironic humor, play, and a rigorous interrogation of the narrative image are apparent throughout the artist’s entire career. These included photographs from Nagatani’s 2017 novel "The Race," likewise published by the Museum. It relates the story of a competition in which women piloted reconditioned World War II Spitfires from Japan to the United States. Other photographs included examples of the Nuclear Enchantment series, which express the contradictions arising from the genesis of the atomic industry in New Mexico.
Nagatani often photographed combinations of objects and human subjects in front of painted or photographed backdrops and dioramas, long before the prevalence of digital manipulation. The exhibition featured some of these props, allowing viewers “behind the scenes” access to the artist’s process.
______________________________________
This exhibition was part of a collaborative effort between the Albuquerque Museum, The New Mexico Museum of Art and the University of New Mexico Art Museum to honor and celebrate the artistic contributions of Patrick Nagatani to the state of New Mexico.
UNM Art Museum
Patrick Nagatani: A Survey of Early Photographs
April 27 - July 28, 2018
artmuseum.unm.edu
New Mexico Museum of Art
Patrick Nagatani: Invented Realities
May 26 - September 9, 2018
nmartmuseum.org