Known for his intimate portraits of queer Black men in domestic settings, Boyland explores the complexities of identity. Boyland’s work challenges and deconstructs the anxieties of his subjects, revealing an innate defiance and ease within his compositions. During his first residency at Tamarind Institute, Boyland’s signature vibrant palette comes alive with a rich array of vivid hues, exploring the emotional resonances evoked by shades of yellow, periwinkle, red, and blue. When rendering the flesh, Boyland imbues it with a luminous, almost iridescent quality, that radiates from the paper.

Jarvis Boyland holds an MFA from the University of California, Los Angeles. His work has been collected by numerous private and public collections including the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, and the Brooklyn Museum. From 2018-2019 Boyland was the Artist-in-Residence for the Arts + Public Life and the Center for the Study of Race, Politics & Culture at the University of Chicago, Chicago, IL and was the recipient of the Andrew W. Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellowship, Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL.

The 2023 Artist Residency was supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

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