Nyingv Jae Saechao
pronouns - they/them/ninh
I am an interdisciplinary artist, storyteller, community educator and cultural worker. I was born and raised on occupied Ohlone lands (East Bay Area) as the first child of Iu Mien + Khmu refugees from the U.S. Secret War in Laos, and currently based on Nisenan territory (Sacramento, CA). My creative work focuses on themes of belonging, culture-keeping, culture-shaping, and ancestral healing with particular emphasis on fat, queer, indigenous Khmu and Iu Mien femme and gender-expansive issues. I am the co-founder of the Cold Rice Collaborative - an ever-evolving creative community and platform committed to uplifting the narratives and experiences of Iu Mien, Khmu, and diasporic indigenous and marginalized ethnic peoples of Southeast Asia.
Most recently, I was the inaugural Critical Southeast Asian American Studies Artist-in-Residence at UC Berkeley (2024) and a California Creative Corps Fellow (2023-24) with the 18th Street Arts Center. I was also named as an Emerging Artist Fellow (2021) by the California Arts Council and a recipient of the Hidden Gems Award III (2022) from the Lao Iu Mien Culture Association.
My practice is guided by my dreams for a collective reality that sees our communities safe, abundant, and free.