this collection and only depicts her white relatives, which she found through DNA testing. Critics have noticed, especially through Nakadate’s work, her failure to address racial identity and believe that for “artists of color to transcend this institutional racism, they must continue making art that doesn’t reference race.” New York Times critic Roberta Smith reviewed very favorably Nakadate's recent show, "Strangers and Relations (2013)," a show consisting of portraits of Americans distantly related to the artist (and located through DNA-testing), calling it "unusually gripping," and adding, "Ms. Nakadate’s nocturnes envelop us in darkness and tenderness and, as usual in her work, an unexpected intimacy opens up." Critiques Nakadate's work has stirred some controversial debates concerning her work with race and gender. Critics have also been skeptical of Nakadate's work ethically, as many believe that her work with strangers is "manipulating" them. Refuting this point, The Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects of New York states that Nakadate's work sidesteps the fact that "everyone is acting" and that this concept is key to understanding Nakadate's work and her artfulness. One point Mary Ann Doane states about Nakadate’s work on the male and stranger gaze is that the "patriarchy has always already said everything (everything and nothing).” References External links Laurel Nakadate's web site Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects Interview with The Rumpus Interview with Flavorwire.com Interview with Mark Olsen Interview with teens from the MoMA Museum Studies Program Interview with teens from the MoMA Museum Studies Program (Part 2) The trailer for Laurel Nakadate’s "The Wolf Knife" Faculty Profile 1975 births Artists from New York (state) American women film directors Living people Artists from Austin, Texas People from Ames, Iowa Film directors from Texas Film directors from Iowa 21st-century American women