Jake Troyli’s work investigates the construction of otherness and the commodification of the Black/Brown body, confronting and exploring labor capitalism and sweat equity as a demonstration of value. He makes energetic paintings, often featuring a self-portrait or avatar of himself embedded in engaging scenes, with a markedly classicist approach. Utilizing techniques formalized during the High Renaissance, underpainting and toning are central to the conception of each work, beginning with a burnt sienna foundation to establish values. In a timely evolution of his practice, Troyli expands the functionality and influence of his figures, imbuing them with new agency and establishing absurd narratives to consider the timeless conversations surrounding the preconceived notions of identity and value structures. Through the presence of prop-like iconography and compositions reminiscent of community theater sets, Troyli positions his figures as performing commodities constantly on display.
Troyli (b.1990, Boston, MA) received his BFA from Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate, TN (2013), his MFA from the University of South Florida, Tampa (2019), and attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, ME (2019). Solo exhibitions include moniquemeloche gallery, Chicago, IL, (2022); Tempus Projects, Tampa, FL, (2018); and ArtsXchange, Atlanta, GA, (2018). Troyli’s work has been featured in group exhibitions at Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI (2023-24); Everson Museum, Syracuse, NY (2023); Kavi Gupta, Chicago, IL, (2022); Galerie Droste, Paris, FR (2021); The Ringling Museum, Sarasota, FL (2021); Contemporary Art Museum, Tampa, FL (2019); San Francisco Art Institute, CA (2018). Troyli’s work will be included in the upcoming group exhibition Get in the Game: Sport and Contemporary Culture at SFMoMA in 2024.
His work is in the permanent collections of The Tampa Art Museum, Tampa, FL; The Ringling Museum, Sarasota, FL; The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, KS; and Pierce and Hill Harper Arts Foundation, Detroit, MI. He is the recipient of the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center Fellowship (2019-2020) and the Creative Pinellas Emerging Artist Grant, Largo, FL (2017). Troyli was a 2023 Visual Artist recipient of the Academy of Fine Arts x International City of Arts program in Paris, France. He is a current resident at Project for Empty Space in Newark, NJ. Troyli lives and works in Newark, NJ.