Renault Alpine, Wilkes Land, Antarctica from the Nagatani/Ryoichi Excavation Series

This photograph may look like it is documenting an archaeological site, but it’s not. Employing hand-coloring, multiple printings, and constructed scenarios, Patrick Nagatani built his photographic narratives through props, careful direction, and image manipulation. In addition to challenging the “truth” associated with photography, he touched on social, cultural, and personal issues, including nuclear power, myth-making, Chromatherapy, Japanese Americans, and the self.