Pao Houa Her's First Major Monograph Explores Hmong Diaspora Through Illusion and Loss

Key facts

• Pao Houa Her's first major monograph is titled 'My grandfather turned into a tiger ... and other illusions'.
• The book compiles four of Her's major series, including the title work reimagining her family's history before leaving Laos.
• One series addresses a scandal where Hmong elders were swindled in a fraudulent investment scheme promising a new homeland.
• Another series pairs black-and-white still lifes of silk flowers with hyper-colored digital backdrops from Hmong photo studios and dating apps.
• The monograph is the result of the Next Step Award, a partnership between Aperture and Baxter St at the Camera Club of New York, in collaboration with the 7|G Foundation.
• Each cover is unique, with up to thirty-two jacket iterations anchored by the same sticker.
• Her is a Hmong American artist born in Laos in 1982, holds an MFA from Yale (2012) and a BFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (2009), and is an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota.
• Her's work was presented as a solo exhibition at the Walker Art Center in 2022–23 and included in the 2022 Whitney Biennial; she received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2023.
• The book includes essays by Godfre Leung, Kong Pheng Pha, Audrey Sands, Mai Der Vang, and Kao Kalia Yang.
• Published by Aperture on January 23, 2024, 124 pages, 80 images, paperback, ISBN 9781597115650.