Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba

Internationally acclaimed artist Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba’s films, installations, and radical performances deal with global crises and complex histories. Nguyen-Hatsushiba grew up between Japan and the U.S. and is the son of a Japanese mother and Vietnamese father. The artist’s mixed heritage has long inspired his work. Nguyen-Hatsushiba earned a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1992 and an MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1994. His landmark short film, Memorial Project Nha Trang, Vietnam: Towards the Complex — For the Courageous, the Curious and the Cowards (2001), was presented in a solo exhibition at the New Museum in 2003. Exploring the aftermath of the Vietnam War and its impact on everyday life, the film was the first of several that Nguyen-Hatsushiba shot underwater. He is also known for ambitious installations and performance projects. For “Breathing is Free: 12,756.3” (2007–present), the artist endeavors to run the diameter of the Earth as a response to the world refugee crisis. He has been featured in prestigious international group exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale in 2003 and 2005. His work is held in the collections of the Centre Pompidou, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Mori Art Museum.