The Cape, 24x36 in., embroidery on canvas.

Han Cao Solo Exhibition - Second Nature
Exhibit Dates - January 15 - February 7, 2026
Opening Reception - Saturday, January 17 | 5:30 - 8:30pm
Closing Reception - Saturday, February 7 | 1:30-3:30pm

In Second Nature, artist Han Cao transforms found vintage photographs and postcards through meticulous hand embroidery, bringing new life to images that were once overlooked or forgotten. Delicate stitches bloom across faces, uniforms, and landscapes, creating layered narratives that explore memory, nostalgia, identity, and our intimate relationship with the world around us.

The exhibition reflects on the idea that we never observe life from a distance—we carry it within us. Through slow, intentional acts of stitching, Cao reveals a “second nature”: not the reality we witness, but the one we inhabit: the slow, quiet embroidery over what was, layered into what remains, shaped by time, experience, and personal history.

Artist bio
Han Cao is a self-taught fiber artist based in Dallas, Texas. Using hand embroidery on vintage photographs and postcards, she reimagines narratives with intricate thread. Influenced by her Vietnamese upbringing and early exposure to textiles through her mother’s work as a seamstress, Cao’s art explores memory, nostalgia, and identity. Each piece invites quiet contemplation, offering space to pause, reflect, and reimagine what remains.

Her work has been exhibited in solo shows at the Museum of the Southwest (Midland, TX) and Paradigm Gallery (Philadelphia, PA), as well as in a variety of group exhibitions across the United States, including at the Delaware Contemporary and the Art Academy Museum. She is a recipient of the Edmund Craig Memorial Award, and her work is held in private collections around the world.