Kai Hoang, born in 1948, in Lao Kai in the northern part of Viet Nam, began his art studies at a private school in Saigon in 1962, where he had numerous exhibitions throughout the 1960s and 1970s. He earned a BA from Saigon University in 1970 and came to the United States in 1984.

The San Jose Art League included his paintings in its 20th Annual Juried Exhibition in 1992, and in 1993 he had a solo exhibition at the offices of the Arts Council of Santa Clara County. In 1993 his work was included in "The Transition," a group show at San Jose City College. In 1996 his work was included in "An Ocean Apart: Contemporary Vietnamese Art from the United States and Vietnam," organized by the Smithsonian Institution and exhibited at the San Jose Museum of Art.

Although Kai Hoang often incorporates narrative elements taken from the rituals of Vietnamese culture into his paintings, the works look predominantly abstract and intensely expressive. Kai Hoang's paintings are like portions of maps of journeys both physical and spiritual, leading to hidden treasures.

Shrine # 3, 70" x 64" mixed media on canvas