Thea Rae

Thea is a multidisciplinary artist and performer based in Brooklyn, NY. Having grown up along the East Coast, they studied sculpture as an undergraduate at Smith College and earned their Master’s degree from NYU’s ITP. Thea’s deep relationship with tension, line, and rigging began in their teenage years, working in their family’s balloon art company. This early exposure to creating structural forms with ephemeral materials planted the seeds for their later explorations in art and performance.

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Thea began their professional career in Oakland, California, where they developed their artistic practice and performed as a circus artist. During this time, they exhibited in solo shows at Basement Gallery in 2010 and Skunk Funk, SF in 2012. Following these early exhibitions, Thea traveled internationally, creating site-specific installations for events and music festivals. Their residencies at Wonderfruit in Thailand in 2018 and 2022 culminated in semi-permanent installations still on display today.

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Beyond the studio, Thea brings their artistic and technical skills to diverse arenas. They are a stunt performer for film and television, blending physicality and creativity in dynamic on-screen work. Their expertise in aerial rigging has also led to high-profile collaborations, including advising and rigging for Madonna’s aerial performances. In addition, Thea contributes to climate research by working in Antarctica, maintaining electronic systems that support critical studies on the changing environment.