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 the mountains surrounding the Mekong.
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.