Created by the University of New Mexico’s University Art Museum, the Desire for Magic: Patrick Nagatani exhibition was conceived as the first comprehensive look at the many and varied projects the artist has worked on since 1978.

The exhibition is an unique opportunity to see both the extensive range of Nagatani’s directorial approach and the breadth of his color photography as he addresses issues surrounding the human condition; politics and the fragile, ever-changing environment; concerns about identity and self; and the invention and interpretation of history.

Desire for Magic: Patrick Nagatani 1978–2008 was curated by Michele M. Penhall and organized by the University of New Mexico Art Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Generous support for the exhibition and publication was made possible by Kurt’s Camera Corral Inc., Dr. Jane Blumenfeld, and Dr. Christopher Mead, Dr. Joyce Szabo, and the Dean’s Circle in the College of Fine Arts, University of New Mexico. Additional publication funding was provided by grants from the New Mexico Council on Photography. Additional support for the Los Angeles presentation provided by Ben Kitagawa.

Image: Japanese Children’s Day Carp Banners, Paguate Village, Jackpile Mine Uranium Tailings, Laguna Pueblo Reservation, New Mexico, 1990, Chromogenic print