Michael Arcega

Michael Arcega is an Associate Professor in the School of Art at San Francisco State University. His interdisciplinary practice focuses on sculpture and installation, exploring themes of identity, colonial history, and sociopolitical power dynamics through research-driven works. He holds a B.F.A. from the San Francisco Art Institute and an M.F.A. from Stanford University.

Arcega's research engages with language, cultural hybridity, and diasporic experiences, particularly through a Filipino American lens. Notable projects include When We Weave Waves (2023), a public art installation blending Philippine textile patterns with diasporic narratives, and Trophy Room (2023), critiquing national identity through collected objects. He has also created community-driven works like TNT Traysikel, a roving sculpture addressing Filipino American heritage in San Francisco's SOMA Pilipinas district.

• Awards: Artadia Award, San Francisco Arts Commission Grant, Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship
• Public Installations: Geographical Transference (SOMA Pilipinas), Wildflowers, Bloom! (Berkeley), Auspicious Clouds/Heavy Fog (Chinatown)
• Collaborations: Co-founded TNT Traysikel project with Paolo Asuncion and Rachel Lastimosa, fostering community engagement through art and storytelling

His work interrogates historical narratives of colonization and displacement, often using humor and wordplay to challenge viewers' perceptions. Exhibitions include Bay Area Now 9 (Yerba Buena Center for the Arts) and a solo show at Beijing's Unicorn Centre for Art (Slowpocalypse), addressing climate anxiety through multimedia installations.