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Joel NakamuraPooper Scoopercirca 2004
circa 2004
$1,750
£1,315.88
€1,521.56
CA$2,469.73
A$2,679.78
CHF 1,421.58
MX$32,907.55
NOK 17,580.28
SEK 16,648.50
DKK 11,357.83
About the Item
Mixed polymers on hand tooled tin panel. Ready for hanging.
The use of vibrant red, stylized flames, and metallic accents echoes the texture and palette of Mexican tin art, grounding the piece firmly in folk traditions while injecting it with Nakamura’s signature punk-surreal edge. Pooper Scooper becomes a mischievous commentary on control, mortality, and celebration, where even in the underworld, the dead find reason to dance.
Pooper Scooper is a wild fusion of infernal imagination and rich cultural symbolism, drawing heavily from Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) traditions and folk art aesthetics. At the heart of the chaos, a skeletal dog—grimacing and powerful—is leashed by a devilish, airborne figure, leading the beast through a hellish landscape littered with bones, flames, and surreal creatures. Surrounding them, jubilant skeletons dance with gleeful abandon, reminiscent of calaveras—playful skeleton figures central to Day of the Dead celebrations.
Joel Nakamura is a Santa Fe–based artist celebrated for his intricate, richly layered artworks that fuse cultural storytelling with a contemporary folk-art sensibility. Known for his bold use of color, precise linework, and densely detailed compositions, Nakamura draws on a wide range of influences—from world mythology and anthropology to pop culture and science fiction. His training as both an illustrator and a fine artist is evident in his visual language: each piece is narrative-driven, packed with symbolic forms, and executed with an almost obsessive craftsmanship. While he has worked across many media, his recent explorations with mixed polymers on hand-tooled tin panels reflect both his technical inventiveness and his deep respect for traditional New Mexican materials.
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