Nagasawa Aoi has been familiar with nature since childhood, fishing and playing in the rivers of Akita where she was born and grew up. She majored in Arts & Roots at Akita University of Art, which opened in 2013, studying painting and anthropology on a course anchored by fieldwork. After graduating, she acquired a hunting license and became involved in the Matagi hunting culture that remains alive in the mountains of Tohoku. Gaining experience as a hunter, her artistic practice involves painting constantly changing local scenery and ecosystems, including encounters with other species and her relationships with them as a hunter.

Recently Nagasawa has extended her research to other areas of Japan, seeing with her own eyes the damage caused by wildlife, the growing intensity of weather disasters brought about by global warming, and the role of prayer and awareness of blessings in traditional hunting practices. Reflecting these plural realities, her art has become more diverse. She also extracts nikawa binder from the skins of bears and deer that she has caught and butchered, and researches pigments that can be refined from animal blood and stones. These investigations into painting materials provide ways of making the cycle of life and primordial memories visible through painting.
Driven by a deep concern for life, Nagasawa’s paintings go beyond a binary choice between destruction of the natural environment (despair) and human-centric unilateral prosperity (hope), raising pointed questions about fundamental issues such as passing on natural landscapes and living in harmony with rare species. The works she presents at the triennale take full advantage of her unique style that accepts animals as fellow beings, crossing ancient wisdom with contemporary perspectives.