Jewel Young (they/she) is a half Chinese lesbian artist currently attending the University of Florida for a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Jewel is a third generation American, born and raised in Florida, and makes work about their experiences with mental health and navigating their identity through sculptures and paintings. Their work focuses on the discomfort and estrangement that comes from being mixed race and queer by utilizing taxidermy and body horror in tandem with sex and the female body. Some work takes on a satirical nature to comment on racism, sexism, and homophobia, while other work is raw and emotional for people to understand and connect with.Jewel works with a variety of mediums and art forms, including but not limited to: painting, photography, video performance, digital drawing, ceramics, and mixed media sculpture. Some works also incorporate taxidermy and/or feature the artist's own hair or blood.
Artist Statement
I make bodies of work themed around being a half Chinese lesbian in the American south. Being a multidisciplinary artist, material and its meaning is an important part of my work, varying from oil paintings of sex and the female body to mixed media sculptures which incorporate taxidermy and my own hair. I utilize research into Chinese mythology, history, and culture, combined with my experiences as a lesbian and my mental health struggles to make pieces that respond to the underrepresentation and misrepresentation of people like me in both mainstream media and society as a whole.
I often incorporate aspects which alter the work as it is viewed, such as strings to pull, pieces to remove, hidden images, or a way to change the light or colors on work to activate the piece, as I feel most connected with something that is not immediately understood. Many of my works are self-portraits, some as a photograph or oil painting of myself, some containing my DNA, and some lacking any resemblance to my appearance at all. Art is the conduit in which I navigate through both the shared experiences and the selfish side of my own identity and carve out my place in the world.Education:
AA from Santa Fe College, Fall 2022
BFA from University of Florida, Spring 2025Exhibitions:
Santa Fe Juried Student Art Show, Spring 2022
Wire Lamb, 8x7x5”, copper wire, pipe cleaners, 2022
Self Portrait, 18x20”, charcoal, 2022UPCOMING Exhibitions
University of Florida Fine Arts C First Floor Display Case, April 8th-19th, 2025
Mother, 3x4’, gold foil and oil paint on wood panel, 2025
Daughter, 3x4’, gold foil and oil paint on wood panel, 2025
Holy, 1x4’, oil on wood panel, 2025
Spirit, 1x4’, oil on wood panel, 2025
Genetics, 3x15x15”, artist’s blood in test tubes on acrylic stand, 2025
Third Generation, 12x12x12”, Chinese ink painting set, blood bag, butterfly needle, plastic bamboo brush, artist’s hair, artist’s blood, 2022/2025
The Banquet, 12 paper mache masks, photographs, 2025University of Florida BFA Senior Show at WARPhaus and 4Most Gallery, April 25-27, 2025
Flirting With Death series, 16x20", anaglyphs printed on canvas, 2025
Documentation photo from sculpture and video Build a Self You Love, 2024. More information can be viewed on the Portfolio page.