The work of Cheyenne Julien (b. 1994, Bronx, NY) features a cast of black and brown characters with exaggerated, dreamlike features. Julien utilizes these cartoonish, somewhat satirical figures as an exploration of and response to environmental racism. Julien does not paint from reference, but finds context probing past experiences in order to understand more about her own life. “My work is based on personal narratives. Race is something that is inherent in all of my painting, but some works represent it more overtly than others. I think there is power in clarity, and I also think there’s power in nuance,” Julien says.
Julien has been featured in recent solo exhibitions at Chapter NY (2020 and 2018); SMART OBJECTS, Los Angeles, CA (2017); Water McBeer, NY (2017); and American Medium, NY (2017), among others. Julien lives and works in the Bronx, NY. Julien’s work is featured in Between the Lines: An RxART Coloring Book by Contemporary Artists – Volume 8. Click here to download and color her spread.