Dakota Nanton is a visual artist and filmmaker based in Hartford, CT. He draws inspiration from such diverse influences as comic books, folklore, and science fiction to create meditative ruminations on desire and death. Borrowing from the images and iconographies of the past, and mixing old techniques with new, he explores the complexities and contradictions of living in the modern world. His work looks at filmmaking and the act of watching films as a form of meditation, looking at film’s physiological effects on the brain and body.

He is an Assistant Professor in the Cinema department at the University of Hartford. His art and films have been featured in museums and festivals internationally and are part of permanent collections in New Zealand, Italy, Canada and the United States.  He specializes in animation, documentary, narrative and experimental modes of filmmaking and teaches courses in these subjects.