Kohei Nawa's 'Photon Camp' Blurs Reality and Virtual at Pace Gallery Los Angeles

Japanese artist Kohei Nawa presents his first solo exhibition in Los Angeles, 'Photon Camp,' at Pace Gallery. The show combines his iconic 'PixCell' series—taxidermied animals encased in transparent spheres—with the 'Prism' series in an immersive installation that dissolves boundaries between artwork and environment. Nawa, who founded the collaborative studio Sandwich in a former Kyoto sandwich factory, explores how digital technology reshapes perception. The exhibition features the centerpiece sculpture 'Elk #3,' a taxidermied elk covered in orbs, positioned alongside 'Prism [Candle#2]' and 'PixCell-Uterus (Anatomy).' Nawa draws on the Japanese concept of 'drifting objects' (flotsam) and his experiences of the 1995 Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, which influenced his 'Scum' and 'Direction' series. The title 'Photon Camp' references Susan Sontag's concept of Camp, suggested by Pace Gallery CEO Marc Glimcher, and David Lynch's work. Nawa's practice also engages with Surrealism, particularly René Magritte's dépaysement, and Cubist multiple perspectives. The exhibition runs through spring 2026.