Christian Hastad is an artist based in Austin, Texas. He has recently completed an MFA in Studio Art at the University of Texas at Austin (2023–2025), where his practice and research focused on the intersections of memory, materiality, and landscape. He received a BFA in Studio Art and a BA in Sociology from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities in 2020, and an Associate of Arts degree from Central Lakes College in 2015.
Hastad’s work has been exhibited nationally at art spaces including the Visual Arts Center in Austin, the Elisabet Ney Museum in Austin, MirrorLab in Minneapolis, Prince Street Gallery in New York City, and the Target Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia. His recent exhibitions include Acceleration Without Arrival (2025) and Retracing the Rubicon (2024) at the Visual Arts Center in Austin, as well as Backburner (2023) and One of One (2023) with MirrorLab in Minneapolis. He has participated in international and national residency programs, including SOMA Summer in Mexico City (2024) and the Vermont Studio Center (2025). His work has been recognized with multiple awards and fellowships at the University of Texas, including the Carolyn Kay “Katy” Davis Centennial Memorial Scholarship, the John Guerin Centennial Endowed Scholarship, and the College of Fine Arts Academic Excellence Fellowship (2024–2025).