ABOUT
I'm Nami, an Okinawan-American artist. I was born in California, raised in Florida, live in Virginia, and work in Washington DC.
I make drawings and paintings influenced by both my doomsday cult upbringing and my Okinawan background. My work has been described by viewers as "bizarre," "unsettling," "nihilistic," "abominable," and "very upsetting to my friend Daniel."
Twitter: @namioshiro
Instagram: @namioshiro
CURRICULUM VITAE
EDUCATION
Corcoran College of Art + Design
Bachelor of Fine Art in Fine Art, 2012
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Devour Hour, DWIGHTMESS Cartooning & Comic Arts Compound, Silver Spring, MD
2024
Great Tribulations, Foundry Gallery, Washington, DC
2023
Lives of Noisy Desperation, Rare Bird Coffee Roasters, Falls Church, VA
2023
The Breadless Circus, Great Hall Gallery (National United Methodist Church), Washington, DC
2023
Off We Go to Paradise, Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton, VA
2023
See You at Doomsday, The Anxious Tomato, Virtual
2022
Idolatry of the Ugly, Rhizome DC, Washington, DC
JURIED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
Animal, Vegetable, Popsicle, Art Enables, Washington, DC (curated by Marissa Long)
2024
Post-Apocalypse Blues, Galerie La Caverne D'Art & Miss, Paris, France (curated by Diane Folliet & Julliet Martinez)
2024
Life in Color, Sitar Arts Center, Washington, DC (curated by John Deardourff, Kelly Richman-Abdou, Martina Loncar, and Maria-Victoria Checa)
2024
Small Works 2023, 440 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY (curated by Grace R. Freedman)
2023
Parallel Play, Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton, VA (curated by Audrey Miller)
2023
DC Art Now!, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Washington, DC
2023
Not Limited to the Human Condition, Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery, Washington, DC (curated by Sara Khambalia)
2023
Luminous, Falls Church Arts, Falls Church, VA (curated by Tara Barr)
2023
Outside Forces, Art Enables, Washington, DC (curated by Marissa Long)
2022
Wild, Falls Church Arts, Falls Church, VA (curated by Tara Barr)
2022
Courage in Color, Gallery Underground, Arlington, VA (curated by Tara Barr)
2022
Artists' Choice: Regional Juried Group Show, Foundry Gallery, Washington, DC
2022
A Space Between, Del Rey Artisans, Alexandria, VA (curated by Brittany Baron)
2022
Under the Sea and Over the Rainbow, Mosesian Center for the Arts, Watertown, MA (curated by Boriana Kantcheva)
2022
Women in Art, Las Laguna Art Gallery, Virtual (curated by Lori McBride)
2022
The Janssen Data + Art Festival Exhibition, Zimmerli Art Museum, New Brunswick, NJ (curated by Julian Jimarez Howard)
2022
WOMEN (only), BROUHAHA Art Gallery, Virtual (curated by Philip George)
2022
Perceive You, Shoebox Projects, Virtual (curated by Kristine Schomaker)
2022
Black + White, Falls Church Arts, Falls Church, VA (curated by Beverly Ryan)
2022
WITHIN, Art Fluent, Virtual (curated by Amy Matteson Neill)
2022
Mona Lisa Tears, Corcoran College of Art + Design, Washington, DC
2012
White Walls, Corcoran College of Art + Design, Washington, DC (curated by Lynn Sures)
2010
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
Art Bank 2023 Grant, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities
2023
Helena Foundation Young Artist Membership Grant, Foundry Gallery
2022
Courage in Color Juror's Choice Award, Honorable Mention, Gallery Underground
2022
The Janssen Data + Art Festival Award, Finalist, Zimmerli Art Museum
2022
MEDIA
"Meet Nami Oshiro," Canvas Rebel, May 2023
"Nami Oshiro," Creative Habits Podcast, Interview, June 2022
PUBLICATIONS AS ARTIST/WRITER
Cover, Hill Rag, Capitol Community News, June 2023
“Athena Birthed from the Skull of Zeus Fully-Formed on the Jersey Shore,” The Bleachy Times: Issue 7, December 2021
"Tell Us How You Really Feel" (artist), UNCANNY VALLEY – ARCHIVE 001, Rick Quinn, November 2021
"Unsent Love Letters," Sad and on the Internet, Patrick Forsythe, June 2013
WORKSHOPS
"Graphic Novel Camp," Rhizome DC, Washington, DC
2023, 2024
"Make Your Own Comics," Rhizome DC, Washington, DC
2022
"DIY Comics: From Cover to Cover," Life Pieces To Masterpieces, Washington, DC
2018
"Kenilworth Watercolor Collages," Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, Washington, DC
2017
"Life Stories in Comics," Life Pieces To Masterpieces, Washington, DC
2014
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Arts Educator & Administrator, Life Pieces To Masterpieces, Washington, DC
April 2018 - Present
Illustrator, Freelance, Falls Church, VA
January 2013 - Present
Writer & Illustrator, ClassHero, Vancouver, WA
September 2021 - December 2021
Art Teacher, Life Pieces To Masterpieces, Washington, DC
July 2013 - August 2016