Jake Troyli’s practice interrogates the performance of identity, the commodification of the Black and Brown body, and the elasticity of selfhood within systems of spectacle and labor. Drawing from the technical rigor of Northern Renaissance painting, Troyli employs classical techniques—such as underpainting and toning—to create vibrant, theatrical compositions that fuse self-portraiture with social critique. His figures, often avatars of himself, are rendered with exaggerated, elastic forms, symbolizing the pressures of code-switching and the blurring line between subject and object. In his recent series Collision Course, developed during his residency at the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Troyli expands his exploration of identity by incorporating a broader cast of characters and symbols. These works delve into humanity's fixation on conflict and the narratives of heroism and villainy, presenting figures that function simultaneously as subject and sacrifice. The compositions, reminiscent of community theater sets, position the viewer as an audience to the ongoing performance of identity and societal roles. Troyli's work is characterized by its bold use of color, dynamic compositions, and the integration of humor and absurdity to challenge preconceived notions of value and identity. By positioning his figures as performing commodities, constantly on display, he invites viewers to reflect on the structures that define and often confine individual and collective identities.
Jake Troyli (b.1990, Boston, MA) played Division 1 basketball at Presbyterian College, Clinton, SC before receiving his BFA from Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate, TN (2013), and his MFA from the University of South Florida, Tampa (2019). He attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, ME in 2019. Solo exhibitions include moniquemeloche, Chicago, IL (2024, 2022); Tempus Projects, Tampa, FL (2018); and ArtsXchange, Atlanta, GA (2018). Troyli’s work has been featured in group exhibitions at Perrotin Gallery, New York, NY (2024); Galerie Droste, Düsseldorf, DE (2024); Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI (2023-24); Everson Museum, Syracuse, NY (2023); 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 is currently included in the group exhibition Get in the Game: Sports, Art, Culture, curated by Jennifer Dunlop Fletcher, Seph Rodney, and Katy Siegel, at SFMoMA, which travels to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Pérez Art Museum Miami and will be accompanied by a scholarly publication. Troyli’s first museum solo exhibition will occur in 2027 at the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, FL.
His work is in the permanent collections of the Everson Museum, Syracuse, NY; 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 currently an artist in residence at Project for Empty Space in Newark, NJ.