Troy Chew*

Lot #15
Not, Safe For Work, 2021
Oil on wood
12 x 12 x 1.5 in.
Courtesy of the artist and Altman Siegel, San Francisco

About the Artwork

Troy Chew (Headlands Tournesol Award ‘19–’20) explores the African diaspora manifested within urban culture through two series of works, Out the Mud and Slanguage. Referencing African countries involved in the transatlantic slave trade, Out the Mud speaks to the rip in the African American cultural fabric, and the several negative and positive paths taken to repair and continue the fabric; the series also questions the definitions of and distinctions between fine art and folk art. Chew’s Slanguage series, of which this work is a part, analyzes figurative language within American culture; the series title is a reference to the colloquial speech rooted in urban areas and Hip-Hop music. In conversation and in contrast with the tradition of Dutch and Flemish still lives, Chew’s works depict representations of coded words drawn from the linguistics of urban vernacular. Here, the nail, nuts, screw, and spoon are all literal representations of slang surrounding the idea of sex. Chew has had recent solo exhibitions at Cushion Works, San Francisco; Guerrero Gallery, San Francisco; and Parker Gallery, Los Angeles.

Retail Value: $2,500