HESTER: See Me, Feel Me — All Street Gallery

NEW YORK, NY – All Street Gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition by Nao Usami, a Tokyo-based artist whose practice spans video games, video, and performance through the use of 3DCG technologies.

Usami’s practice is driven in particular by one of the defining capacities of video games: the ability to allow players to experience the perspectives of others—including non-human entities. Through explorations that evoke haptic perception and tactile sensation, her work has expanded in recent years to incorporate VR and motion-capture technologies into performance, further probing the relationship between image and the body.

She is currently undertaking a two-month research residency in New York, where she is engaged in wide-ranging research encompassing feminist and queer art in New York, as well as research into platforms, communities, and educational institutions focused on video games and digital art.

The exhibition features Clean Up My Pixels (2025), a new video work combining 3DCG animation and live-action footage. The work offers a psychoanalytic portrayal of a protagonist who has experienced forms of digital sexual harm, such as deepfake pornography. Also on view is I stitch my skin to the ground (2023), an interactive video game project that depicts the experiences of survivors of sexual violence whose bodies have been objectified. Players embark on a journey in search for a new body, shaping the narrative by choosing objects to merge with from a set of options.

The exhibition also includes a small showcase introducing three emerging Japanese media art practitioners who have undertaken, or are scheduled to undertake, research residencies in New York: Ryuta Aoki (Artist, Artistic Director), Miyuki Tanaka (Curator, Accessibility Researcher, Social Worker), and Tomo Kihara (Media Artist, Game Developer).

About the Artist: Nao Usami
She creates works spanning video, video games, and performance through the use of 3DCG technologies. Her first solo exhibition, TOKAS-Emerging 2023, was held at Tokyo Arts and Space Hongo in 2023. She has participated in group exhibitions worldwide, including in Portugal, Taipei, and South Korea. Her work I stitch my skin to the ground (2023) received an Honorary Mention in the New Animation Art category at Prix Ars Electronica 2024.

MFA, Department of New Media, Graduate School of Film and New Media, Tokyo University of the Arts, 2020.

This exhibition is presented as part of WAN: Art & Tech Creators Global Network, a program supported by the Japan Creator Support Fund, dedicated to incubating and supporting Japanese media art creators.

WAN is an international incubation program dedicated to fostering Japanese media art practitioners, including artists, curators, researchers, and creative coders, who
seek to expand their practices beyond national borders. Through partnerships with overseas art institutions, art festivals, industry professionals, and research organizations, WAN provides selected creators with opportunities to engage in residencies and a wide range of professional activities, such as exhibitions, presentations, and networking programs. These experiences are designed to cultivate the critical knowledge, practical skills, and professional networks that are essential for sustained international engagement. By supporting creators at pivotal stages in their careers, WAN aims to strengthen the global presence of Japanese media art and contribute to the development of an internationally connected creative landscape.

https://www.w-a-n-art.net/en/

About All Street Gallery:
Founded in 2018, All Street Gallery is a gallery and platform for emerging and underrepresented artists whose work focuses on social engagement and community empowerment. Initially created as an artist collective and grassroots protest organization, All Street is driven by its roots in the city’s creative community. The gallery’s mission is to use art as a means of protest, resistance, and social change, highlighting voices that challenge the status quo. After opening its first location on East Third Street in the East Village, All Street expanded in 2023 with a second space at 119 Hester Street. Both locations continue to provide a platform for artists whose work addresses important social and political issues.

For inquiries please contact:
gallery@allstnyc.com
646 335 3717

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