About — Tori Hong

Tori Hong

Positioned within queer theory and praxis, Tori Hong (she/they) pursues an interdisciplinary art practice expressed through drawing, installation, textiles, and social practice. Referencing their Hmong and (North) Korean ancestry, Hong’s artistic research focuses on survivance and agency. Survivance—coined by Anishinaabe scholar Gerald Vizenor—speaks to how Indigenous peoples, cultures, and lifeways have not simply survived, but actively resisted genocidal, colonizing forces. Agency comprises the ability of an individual and collective to materially, emotionally, and spiritually shape the conditions in which they live. Because Hong is of uniquely mixed heritage, her interdisciplinary work relies heavily on her intuition to hold space for complex narratives and create hybridized healing pathways for herself, her ancestors, and future generations.

Hong holds an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design (2025) and a BA in Social Justice, Leadership, and Communication Studies from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities (2014). Prior to her emerging career in fine art, Hong worked as an illustrator, community organizer, and youth worker. As such, her work draws upon past experiences in shaping narratives, engaging communities, and making art accessible. Hong is currently based in Providence, RI, forming relationships with Narragansett land and its inhabitants through gardening, biking, and foraging.

Hong has been awarded the RISD Graduate Commons Grant Fellowship (2025), RISD Spur Fund (2025), AICAD Teaching Fellowship nominee (2025), AIGA Worldstudio DxD Scholarship (2024-2025), Springboard for the Arts Hinge Arts Residency (2021), MRAC Next Step Fund (2020), Forecast Public Art Early Career Research and Development Grant (2020), and more.

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