Thad Higa
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
"[...] everything is based on connections and nothing else."
–Eduardo Calderon, from "Reading the Mesa"
Thad is a Korean-Okinawan American language worker, born 1989 on Ohlone Land, California, and raised in Hawaiʻi. He works with artists' books, concrete poetry, printmaking, collage, typography, graphic design and living rooms. He is currently mucking around in the intersections of language, technology, capitalism, eurocentrism, and their roles in controlling perceptions of reality, value and legibility. Fun!
educationing
2011 from Seattle University with a BA in Creative Writing
2023 Mills College with MFA in Book Arts
writing
Thad Higa, “Addressing the Creative Netizen,” Digital Culturist, Issue 5, March 5, 2017.
Thad Higa, “Artist Interviews Himself,” The Box Jelly, July 12, 2019.
Sophia Ma, " (R)education: Exhibiting the Asian American Experience," Art Papers, c. 2021.
Levi Sherman, "This Land Is My Land," Artists' Book Reviews, June 8, 2021.
Megan N. Liberty, "Artists Thad Higa and Tammy Nguyen Explore the ‘Collective Archive’" July 29, 2021.
Noe Tanigawa, “Eye-catching publication ignites discussion about racism, diversity and inclusivity at UH Mānoa,” October 28, 2021.
Thad Higa, “From the Mountain,” Lantern Review, August 11, 2021
curating
2019 Regenerate! Book Arts in Hawaiʻi co-curated with Minny Lee at Donkey Mill Art Center, Kona
book designing
2019 It Billows Up artist book designed for the Sontag Shogun, at Printed Matter, NYC
202(?) Artist book and magazine designer for The Box Jelly
2021 Decolonize University of Hawaiʻi Department of Art and Art History broadsheet collaboration with Rebecca Maria Goldschmidt
residencing
2019 Spring AIR at The Box Jelly
workshopping
2018 Monthly tiny zine- and book-making workshops at Mori, Art & Flea
2019 Identity and zine workshops at Donkey Mill Art Center, Hawaiʻi State Art Museum, and Mark’s Garage
2019 Walkabout, a psychogeographic walking tour and map-making exercise at da Shop Books in Kaimuki, Art World Escape, and Contact: Acts of Faith (collaboration with 88 Block Walks)
2022 AAPI Zine workshop at East Side Cultural Alliance
upcoming, ongoing
2023 Han group exhibit with members of Korean American Artist Collective at Culture House, Washington DC
exhibiting
2018 ArtInTime group exhibit at the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum
2019 TRANSCENDIENTS: Immigrant Stories of Place, group exhibit in Thomas Square Park, Honolulu
2019 Contact: Acts of Faith, group exhibit at Mission Houses, Honolulu
2019 Millenary Bodies: the Exhibition solo exhibit at The Box Jelly, Honolulu
2019 Regenerate! Book Arts in Hawaiʻi group exhibit at Donkey Mill Art Center, Kona
2021 O, with artist Tammy Nguyen at Five Myles Gallery, Brooklyn
2021 Meed 4: The Power of Identity finalist in group exhibit, at Gallery 19, Chicago
2022 Hawaiʻi Triennial at the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum
2022 Bound: The Art of the Book at ACCI Gallery, Berkeley
2022 Murphy and Cadogan Contemporary Art Awards Exhbition at SOMArts Cultural Center, SF
2022 Sounds About Riso at UsagiNY Gallery, NYC
2023 Murmurations MFA Thesis show at Mills College Art Museum, Oakland
2023 Whistling the avant garde group exhibit at Good Mother Gallery, Oakland
2023 Han group exhibit with Korean American Artist Collective at Culture House, Washington DC
fairing
2017 Honolulu Print and Book Fair
2018 Hawaiʻi Zine Fest, Honolulu
2018 Honolulu Print and Book Fair
2019 Hawaiʻi Zine Fest, Honolulu
2019 Honolulu Print and Book Fair (tabler & events coordinator)
2022 Codex Book Fair
blabbering
2019 Live interview and reading with It's Lit
2021 John Yau moderated artist talk with Tammy Nguyen
2021 Art World Escape talk with curator Marine Cornuet