Joey Terrill
(USA, 1955)
Terrill is a Chicano artist and second-generation native of East Los Angeles. For nearly four decades, his paintings and prints have stood at the forefront of queer Chicano art, pushing the boundaries of form and cultural representation by exploring the confluences of race and sexuality. Terrill incorporates social activism and a commitment to social justice in much of his work, including making statements about queer identity and culture, confronting the culture of machismo and masculinity in Chicano culture, and making statements about life with HIV, HIV’s place in society and popular culture, the commercialism of HIV medication in the marketplace.
Terrill’s paintings and drawings take form in portraits from individuals in his life, whether it be friends, family, lovers, or the artist himself, and many of Terrill’s works also consist of still-life compositions utilizing inanimate objects. Many times the animate and inanimate come together into one piece to make his intended statement. He has shown his work at the Bronx Museum of Arts in New York; Museo Universitario de Arte Contemporáneo (MUAC), Mexico, DF; Brooklyn Art Museum in Brooklyn, New York; among others.
Video where artist Joey Terrill discusses the artwork "Jef, Victor, Luis & George" for our #CelebratingDiversity series, curated by Gabriela Urtiaga, Chief Curator of MOLAA.