Next Big Thing: Jake Troyli
The Chicago-based talent reveals a complex, saturated world in his canvases
Employing subjects from High Renaissance artworks, classic techniques such as underpainting, Pop Art punches, and a slew of alter egos, Jake Troyli reveals a complex, saturated world with his canvases. “I think of my self-image as an elastic avatar,” says the Chicago artist, “something I can contort, manipulate, and shape-shift with total agency, as it moves through different scenarios and settings in my composition.”
Artistic influences: Fascinated by comics and visual world-building from an early age, Troyli fondly recalls receiving a subscription to Mad magazine as a birthday gift. “I was immediately hooked on the artists using their technique and humor to guide the reader into a more nuanced social and cultural critique, which I strive for in my work now.” Equally inspirational are the paintings of the Northern Renaissance. “They’re so weird and beautiful, and filled with symbolism, and a lot of winks at the viewer,” Troyli says. “I’m trying to build my language as a hybrid between the two.”
On view: Currently on display at Monique Meloche Gallery in Chicago, Troyli’s newest series confronts humanity’s obsession with conflict and the performative ritual of combat. “I wanted to create a body of work in which there’s this central, unending battle and motives are constantly shifting,” he explains. “Most of the figures are clone stamps of each other.”
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2024 Winter Issue under the headline “Next Big Things.” Subscribe to the magazine.