Jeffrey Cheung is an artist and co-founder of Unity Press, Unity Skateboarding, and THERE skateboards. Cheung’s bright, figurative work celebrates queerness and examines freedom, identity, and intersectionality through bold color and intertwined figures. The vibrant energy of his paintings echoes in his work with Unity and THERE, where he often collaborates with fellow queer artists, writers, and skateboarders to cultivate days of collectivity around skateboarding and zine-making. Cheung’s creative cross-disciplinary practice focuses on a commitment to self-expression and queer love.
The figures are embracing each other lovingly and joyfully, and are meant to inspire a sense of communal solidarity. They radiate a positivity that stands in opposition to all forms of oppression. All of our struggles are connected. Transphobia, homophobia, racism, Islamophobia, anti-semitism, sexism, and systemic violence are all perpetrated by the same forces of white supremacy and colonialism. The depicted subjects are larger than life, engulfing the viewer in a world of queer bodies unafraid to take up space, to stand for humanity, and to stand against genocide.
Per the artist, this piece is dedicated to all queer and trans Palestinians.
This public artwork is a part of Bay Area Now 9 and is supported by the Office of Mayor London N. Breed and the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development.
Exterior Forum Wall, YBCA
Jeffrey Cheung
b. 1989, Castro Valley, CA
Lives and works in Oakland, CA
Ceasefire Now!, 2024
Printed vinyl
