Pao Houa Her

Pao Houa Her is a Hmong-American artist based in Minneapolis immersed in the rich heritage of landscapes, portraiture, and documentary photography. Her work delves into the Hmong-American experience, bicultural identity, and the complexities of diasporic communities. Her creates provocative photographs of the indigenous Hmong people of Laos, who immigrated to the US after the Vietnam War, including her own personal narrative of her family’s flight from Laos when she was three. As a form of preservation, she also documents the ethnic Hmong culture that took root across the US in the late 1970s and 1980s.

Her draws on a long history of artists exploring the people and places around them to uncover something deeper about themself or society. Her landscapes, including those on display for Sculpture Milwaukee, recall scenes in Laos of her family's native lands and homes. By incorporating elements from everyday family life, Her bridges the gap between past and present, tradition and modernity, inviting viewers to contemplate the complexities of heritage and its influence on personal and communal identities.

Pao Her's evocative photographs illuminate the diverse experiences of Hmong-Americans, capture the complexities of tradition and assimilation, while inviting us to celebrate diversity, embrace the richness of different cultures, and forge meaningful connections that transcend borders.