Cha, Theresa Hak Kyung, 1951-1982

Theresa Hak Kyung Cha was born on March 4, 1951 in Pusan, South Korea. Her family had fled to this southern port city to escape the advancing North Korean and Chinese armies during the height of the Korean War. The Chas remained in Korea until 1962 when they emigrated to America, settling first in Hawaii and then moving to San Francisco in 1964. The Bay Area remained Cha's home for most of her life.

She attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart, a Catholic school, where she began her studies in the French language. After graduating from high school, Cha enrolled briefly at the University of San Francisco and then transfered to the University of California at Berkeley where she continued her studies for ten years, receiving four degrees: B.A Comparative Literature (1973), B.A. Art (1975), M.A. Art (1977), and M.F.A. Art (1978). Of particular importance to her studies were Professor Bertrand Augst of the French and Comparative Literature Departments with whom she investigated film and French film theory and James Melchert, Professor in the Practice of Art Department with whom she studied performance and conceptual art.

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