Sai Ntxhais Vang is a Twin Cities-based photographer and community activist whose work has appeared in the Paj Ntaub Voice Hmong Literary Journal, HmoobTeen Magazine and numerous gallery exhibits and projects across the Midwest. As an emerging artist she brings a unique feel and focus to her work. Bakka Magazine caught up with her to discuss her approach and techniques.

What are some of the big projects you’re involved with presently you think our readers would like to hear about?

I am involved in a number of projects. The first is coordinating photographer Wing Young Huie’s latest project. He is photographing the communities along the six miles stretch of University Avenue in Saint Paul. 360 photos will be exhibited on business windows in 2010 along the avenue.

The other projects that I am coordinating are with the Hmong American Institute for Learning (HAIL); I curarted an art exhibition called, REMIX: The Intergenerational Hmong Exhibition. The concept is for artists to take a piece of artwork of their elders and reinterpret the piece to create a dialogue of intergenerational learning and understanding. The show was seen in Homewood Gallery for the entire month of July this year.

I am also coordinating workshops for visual artists through HAIL. The topics of each workshop will attempt to break down some of the barriers artists face by building a supportive community. We will tackle funding issues, exhibition opportunities and community obligations to name a few. One of the more difficult issues is getting artists to sell their work, perhaps in the future, a detachment workshop. If you want more information, you can email me at ntxhaisvaj@gmail.com.

What’s the earliest picture you remember taking?

Taking a picture of my sister Tong at the park.

What made you decide to train primarily in photography?

I don’t have the patience to practice any other art form.

Three by Sai Vang
Did your early photographic goals include earning a living from photography, or did it start as a way to express yourself creatively?

For the most part, I think people become photographers simply because they like looking at pictures. I spent a lot of my childhood looking at my family’s photo albums over and over again. Each photo album told a chapter in my family’s story. That led to looking at other families’ photo albums to looking at magazines.

I cringed in my school picture days. I find them pretentious. I thought if I were to ever become a serious photographer, I would want to work for National Geographic and travel the world. At the same time realizing my own contradictions. How do I photograph other cultures and societies, when I knew very little about my own? It was through my identity search that it led me to comprehend the many social injustices occurring within my community. I hope to tell stories as a way to continue learning about my surroundings.

One Has, One Has Not by Sai Vang

What do you look for most in your work as a photographer?

I hope that I gave a dignified portrayal of my subject(s).

Girl And Tree by Sai Vang

Mai Yang Votes by Sai Vang
What are some your favorite themes and subjects as a photographer?

I explored themes of cultural identity, community, and social justice. Many of my subjects have been of young people and family.

Do you practice any other art forms?

If I acquire enough patience, I could finish the many paj ntaubs I have started.

Has your family been supportive of your work as a photographer?

My mother saw herself in my senior show and was more concern people looking at her than that her image was in a gallery. Like most people, my parents do not consider art as a practical career choice. However, they see my persistence and have been supportive. The current consensus is that I own too many cameras.

Girl In Waiting by Sai Vang
What kind of camera do you like to use?
At the moment, I am using Canon’s 20D SRL. I would prefer to return back to my old film SRL. I love the technical process of developing my own prints. But due to the high cost of developing my own film and print, digital photography makes my life much easier.

What’s your dream camera?
I would love to venture into middle or large format cameras just because I have never used them before.

What are some tips you have for others who are just starting photography?
Carry a camera everywhere with you and take a lot of pictures. I never thought I would be a photographer until I started carrying a camera with me, especially now with cheap digital cameras.