Karen Thảo La (she/her) is a Vietnamese-Canadian artist, cultural producer, and facilitator living and working on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ Nations.
With deep winding roots from Sài Gòn to Cà Mau, Vietnam, her practice is informed by collective memory, ancestral folklore, and the space between language(s). Themes of circularity and cultural identity emerge across mediums and collaborative, community-engaged art projects emphasizing youth participation. Karen's care-based ethos is at the heart of her work, driving her passion for creating accessible artistic experiences, places of gathering, and opportunities for diasporic (re)connection, cultural exchange, and celebration. Vòng Vòng, a periodic event series that centres and connects Vietnamese/BIPOC communities from around the world, is the latest iteration of these efforts.
She holds a BFA from the University of British Columbia and is committed to ongoing un/learning, and pursuing in/formal embodied experiences near and far.
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