Lauren Hana Chai

Lauren Hana Chai is known for contrasting her traditional Korean upbringing with her modern American life. The first in her family born in America, she was raised by her South Korean grandparents in Hawaii before moving across the Pacific to San Francisco to study at the Academy of Art University.

Her current series places side-by-side traditional elements, such as Korean folk art and Buddhist temple architecture, and modern elements such as interracial relationships or sexually charged figures. She has been featured on NBC News, KBS World Radio, and Houston NPR and in the Honolulu Star Bulletin.