Blog Food is Culture: Deycha Nhtae April 21, 2025 Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on Email Deycha Nhtae Artist Bio: Seattle based visual artist, Deycha Nhtae (@deychanhtae), is a queer, Black survivor of state violence and proud product of the Ghetto. Born and raised in Southeast Washington, D.C., she unequivocally belongs to a rich history of innovation, resilience and joy. In 2017, she began developing her artistry using a self-guided curriculum in lieu of access to traditional fine arts education. Through her work in abstract figurative painting, collage and digital illustration, Deycha transmutes ancestral trauma into beautiful expressions of life. Her practice centers a radical embodiment of the process of art marking, aimed at subverting compulsory productivity. As a multidisciplinary visual artist, she explores across the gamut of wet and dry media. Deycha is a teaching artist at Pratt Fine Art Center and sustains a career as a freelance artist. She has worked with the Seattle Art Museum to facilitate creative workshops. In 2023, she facilitated a youth art workshop concurrent with the Calder: In Motion exhibit. Returning to SAM in 2024, she facilitated two workshops in abstract bead embroidery in celebration of the 50 year retrospective of Joyce J. Scott. She was a recipient of the 2023 Seattle Restored artist grant, as well as a Neighbor Recovery Grant Recipient through the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture. She placed second in the regional student art contest League for Innovation in 2022. Deycha is inspired by the strength of Ghetto culture and the meditative qualities of abstraction. #ArtistsForFoodJustice: Twelve Washington artists from Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) communities and marginalized identities interpret our monthly Meaning of Food themes through original digital artwork, premiering on the first day of each month. Learn more about this series and the artists here.
