For his exhibition at the Box, Naotaka Hiro harkens back to one of his seminal concepts—being of two worlds. At the age of 18, not knowing English, Hiro moved from Japan to Los Angeles hoping to pursue a career in film. The language barrier forced him to work simultaneously as an actor and director, a twin approach that has stayed with him. “I believe that my art practice, whether it be drawing or painting, has two steps,” says Hiro. “The first step is more subjective, intuitive, and organic, while the second step is more objective and alert. I repeat these steps several times, and almost two personas continuously agree and conflict with each other during the entire painting process.” As F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” —Clara Molot