Erika Hirugami

Erika Hirugami is an Academic Curator and Doctoral Candidate at UCLA, holding a Professor role at Claremont Graduate University (School of Arts and Humanities, MFA Department), alongside positions at Santa Monica College and Los Angeles Mission College. She identifies as a first-generation transnational Japanese Mexican immigrant of Otomí and P’urhépecha ancestry, with a focus on braiding the aesthetics of undocumentedness to challenge immigration policy.

• Education: MA in Art Business (Sotheby’s Institute + Claremont Graduate University), MA in Chicanx Studies (UCLA), MPhil (UCLA), BAs in Art History, Chicano Studies, and Mexican Studies (UCLA)
• Key Research Areas: Aesthetics of Undocumentedness, Political Art Action, Immigration Policy Critique, Indigenous Epistemologies, Queer Spatiality, Decolonial Curatorship, Undoc+ Labor

Her curatorial work spans institutions in the U.S. and Mexico, including Fowler Museum, UVA, and Los Angeles Mission College. She explores intersections of transnational identity, art as political resistance, and museum accountability. Recent publications examine necrocapitalism, curanderismo, and spatial border politics.

Scientific Awards include the NALAC National Leadership Institute Fellowship, DAICOR Fellowship, CCI Catalyst Award, UCLA Fellowships (Gold Shield, GCD), and Kress Foundation Curatorial Fellowship.

As founder of CuratorLove and UNDOC+Collective, she advocates for marginalized voices in art sectors. Her curatorial directorship roles at Ronald McDonald House Charities and The KNOW Contemporary highlight her community-driven initiatives.