Hiromi Stringer

Hiromi Stringer is a Senior Lecturer of interdisciplinary drawing and painting in the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Texas at San Antonio, part of the College of Liberal and Fine Arts. She received her BS from Tottori University in Japan in 1999 and completed her MFA in Art from UTSA in 2018.

Her educational background includes:

• BS from Tottori University, Japan (1999)
• Post-baccalaureate work in fine art
• MFA in Art from University of Texas at San Antonio (2018)

Stringer's research explores the intersections of cultural identity, language, and visual representation through multiple ongoing projects. Her work "Unspoiled Territories" investigates the power of imagination in filling conceptual "black boxes," while her "Umeyama Time Teleportation Museum" uses fictional narratives to examine contemporary culture from an outsider's perspective. She is particularly interested in how language shapes understanding and how cultural-linguistic communication gaps create space for the "possibility of language" phenomenon, which informs much of her artistic practice. Her recent work often incorporates book pages from etiquette guides layered beneath gesso to visually represent communication barriers.

Stringer's creative output demonstrates a consistent exploration of cross-cultural perspectives, particularly Japanese-American experiences, and how mundane contemporary objects reflect broader societal values. Her work with dog imagery examines how human desires and sentiments are projected onto canine companions, viewing dog breeds as reflections of human history and culture over the past 150-200 years. Her artistic approach combines conceptual depth with technical skill across multiple media including drawing, painting, printmaking, and installation art.

Her notable awards include:

• 2019-2020 Dedalus Foundation Master of Fine Arts Fellowship
• 2019-2020 Blue Star Contemporary Berlin Residency Program/Künstlerhaus Bethanien International Studio Program, Berlin, Germany
• 2021 Summer Arts Faculty Residency at Ox-Bow School of Art & Artists' Residency, MI
• 2022 Dedalus Foundation Funds for Past Fellows and Awardees
• Grand prize for Eyes Got It! 2014
• 2024 Vermont Studio Center residency, Johnson, VT

Stringer's work has been exhibited in various gallery spaces, with her pieces included in public, corporate, and private collections in both Japan and the United States. As a non-native English speaker who moved to the US in her 30s, she brings a unique perspective to her exploration of cultural and linguistic communication gaps, transforming personal experiences of miscommunication into conceptual art that challenges viewers to consider alternative interpretations and the limits of knowledge.