Born and raised in Seattle, Troy Gua is passionately creative: a self-taught artist, designer, maker, and tinkerer, continuously cultivating a prolific output of smart, bold work in a diverse range of media, produced with wit and a crisp visual aesthetic.
STATEMENT: My process, rooted in meticulous craftsmanship, often combines various mediums like sculpture, photography, and digital manipulation. The idea comes first, the media I choose is what I feel best serves the idea, and the methods of fabrication are as wide in scope as the results. I also strive for a diverse artistic approach, and I passionately experiment with materials and techniques, embracing an evolving fluidity that allows for unexpected shifts in my artistic practice, but is always flavored with my own special blend of pop culture and contemporary art.
Unconventional portraiture is the vehicle I often choose to convey my investigations of multiplicity and the fluidity of identity: the true essence and core of my work. The malleability of our existence and our limitless potential for plasticity fascinates me, and to mirror this human experience, I have created a vast body of work via multiple forms of non-traditional portraiture.
I want my art to invite viewers to take a closer look, below the surface, into themselves and outside to others, with empathy and understanding rather than judgment. I am not one thing. None of us are. As a young man, I was judged, bullied, and the victim of violence because of how I chose to dress and present myself. These experiences were transformative, leaving me driven and inspired to challenge perception and to foster curiosity and alternative perspectives, encouraging connection. ~TG
CV:
Represented by SAM Gallery at the Seattle Art Museum
Represented in the United States Midwest by Kenneth Paul Lesko Gallery
Represented in New Jersey by Parlor Gallery
2024
Kirkland Art Center - Like Mother…, traveling group show curated by Kelly Lyles, March 2024, Kirkland, WA
Oranj Studio - Shared Space, solo show, April-June 2024, Portland, OR
That Gallery - group show, April 2024, Palm Desert, CA
Fathom Gallery - group show at Fathom Architecture, Alaska Trade Building, Seattle, WA
MadArt: Mad Studio - final group show, June 2024, South Lake Union, Seattle, WA
SAM Gallery - TBA, group show, October 2024, Seattle, WA
2023
SAM Gallery - BLOOM!, 2 person show with Stephen Rock, opens February 4 2023, Seattle, WA
Fathom Gallery - Inaugural group show at Fathom Architecture, Alaska Trade Building, opens April 14, 2023, Seattle, WA
AMcE Gallery - This Must Be the Vase, group show curated by Jeremy Buben, opens April 29, 2023, Seattle, WA
Gallery Axis - MULTI: (Self) Portraits from Uncanny Valley, solo show, opens July 6, 2023, Seattle, WA
Strega Gallery at Slip Gallery - The Truth is Out There, group show curated by Geneva Baldauf and J. Gordon, opens July, 2023, Seattle, WA
Steve Gilbert Studio - To Die For, group show curated by Jeremy Buben and Steve Gilbert, opens August, 2023, Seattle, WA
Helen S. Smith Gallery, Green River College - Like Mother…, traveling group show curated by Kelly Lyles, September 2023, Auburn, WA
2022
Seattle Art Fair - Featured artist for the Seattle Art Museum Booth, via SAM Gallery, July 21-24, Seattle, WA
2021
BONFIRE - Mance Engine’s Gifts of Distraction, solo show, August/September 2021, Seattle, WA - participant of the Seattle Deconstructed Art Fair
Guest Writer on natie.com’s Blog Series Princely Lessons for a Pop Life, January 6, 2021
Shunpike Storefronts Program - window installation of PORTALS paintings in South Lake Union, Seattle, February to May, 2021
SAM Gallery - solo show in conjunction with ‘Jacob Lawrence: The American Struggle’, opens March 4 2021, Seattle, WA
2020
Penney Lofts - Permanent public art (Pop Hybrids) installed on exterior of historic Renton building, September 2020
LA Artcore Brewery Annex - LA Artcore 4th Annual Photographic Competition and Exhibition, group show curated by Penny Wolin, Michele Cairella-Fillmore, and Terry Sutherland, March 8 - 29, 2020, Los Angeles, CA
Center on Contemporary Art - 20/20 Vision: 2020 CoCA Members Show, group show curated by Nichole DeMent, March 5 - April 25, 2020, Seattle, WA
CANCELLED: SAM Gallery - XI, solo show, July 2020, Seattle, WA
CANCELLED: BONFIRE - TBD, solo show, August/September 2020, Seattle, WA
Guest Panelist on The Purple Paradigm: Episode 03: Illusion, Coma, Pimp & Circumstance : Prince as Brand, September 7, 2020
2019
Bellwether 2019 - While Supplies Last, pop-up art market at Bellevue Arts Museum, group show curated by Anthony White, September 14+21, 2019, Bellevue, WA
Parlor Gallery - Sunkissed, group show, August 2019, Asbury Park, NJ
SAM Gallery - Free radicals, group show, June 2019, Seattle, WA
Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) - Prince from Minneapolis, group show, April 2019-January 2020, Seattle, WA
SAM Gallery presents - Pop Hybrids at TASTE Café, Seattle Art Museum, October 2018 to May 2019, Seattle, WA
Threshold Gallery at Mithün - Portals, solo show, April/May 2019, Seattle, WA
2018
Weisman Art Museum - Prince from Minneapolis, group show, December 2017-June 2018, Minneapolis MN
Oranj Studio - Pop Hybrids, solo show, April-June 2018, Portland, OR
SAM Gallery - Splitting Image, group show, June 2018, Seattle, WA
Parlor Gallery - Wham, Bam, Thank You, Ma'am, group show, June 2018, Asbury Park, NJ
Kirkland Library - Immaculate Disasters Installation, curated by J. Gordon, June/July 2018, Kirkland, WA
Kenneth Paul Lesko Gallery - Director's Choice, group show, July/August 2018, Cleveland, OH
Kirkland Arts Center - Apparitions, group show curated by J. Gordon, October 2018, Kirkland, WA
SAM Gallery - Digital Maneuvers, group show, October 2018, Seattle, WA
PRN Alumni Foundation - Alumni Shares, 'Funk N Roll' Fundraising Weekend, Fashion & Style Panel Moderator, October 2018, Capri Theater, Minneapolis, MN
BND DSGN Design Conference - Panel: Art Asks. Design Answers., Panel Moderator, October 2018, Bend, OR
SAM Gallery - 45th Anniversary Show, group show, November 2018, Seattle, WA
SAM Gallery - Collector's Choice, group show, December 2018, Seattle, WA
2017
SAM Gallery - Start Now, group show, January 2017, Seattle, WA
Kenneth Paul Lesko Gallery - Director's Choice, group show, February/March 2017, Cleveland, OH
Kirkland Arts Center - (Dis)Connected, group show curated by Kayla Harriel, March/April 2017, Kirkland, WA
Parlor Gallery - The Contemporaries, group show, May 13 – June 18, 2017, Asbury Park, NJ
Out of Sight, 3rd annual group event running concurrent and adjacent to the Seattle Art Fair, August 2017, Seattle, WA
Feast Arts Center - TBD, solo show, August 2017, Tacoma, WA
TASTE at Seattle Art Museum - Immaculate Disasters, solo show, August-October 2017, Seattle WA
Weisman Art Museum - Prince from Minneapolis, group show, December 2017-June 2018, Minneapolis MN
2016
BONFIRE - Orange Dust, solo show, November 2015 - January 2016, Seattle, WA
King Street Station - Giant Steps, in collaboration with Catherine Gua, group competition and exhibition curated by Greg Lundgren, March 2016, Seattle, WA
Good Neighbor - The Town Where Nothing Ever Happens, group show curated by Chris Crites, March/April 2016, Seattle, WA
Kenneth Paul Lesko Gallery - Pop Hybrids, solo show, May/June 2016, Cleveland, OH
SAM Gallery - Contemporary Printmakers, group show, June 2016, Seattle, WA
Seattle Art Museum - Party in the Park, group event at SAM's Olympic Sculpture Park benefitting the Seattle Art Museum, June 24th, 2016, Seattle, WA
Parlor Gallery - The Colors I Am Inside, group show, June 18 - August 8, 2016, Asbury Park, NJ
Center on Contemporary Art - American Power, group show with Tracy Boyd, Chris Crites, Rebecca Cummins, and Paul Rucker, curated by Nichole DeMent, July, 2016, Seattle, WA
AXIS Gallery - Seattle Squared, group show curated by John Osgood, August 2016, Seattle, WA
2015
SAM Gallery - See Me, group show, March - April 2015, Seattle, WA
Seattle Art Museum - Party in the Park, group event at SAM's Olympic Sculpture Park benefitting the Seattle Art Museum, June 26th, 2015, Seattle, WA
Parlor Gallery - Summer Lovin', group show, July 25th - August 24th, 2015, Asbury Park, NJ
Sticks & Stones Gallery - Gravity Falls, group show running concurrently with the Seattle Art Fair, July 30th, 2015, at Surface Theory, Seattle, WA
AXIS Gallery - Prints: New Paintings by Troy Gua, solo show, September 2015, Seattle, WA
BONFIRE - Orange Dust, solo show, November 2015 - January 2016, Seattle, WA
2014
SAM Gallery - Hybrid, First ever SAM Gallery solo show and inaugural show in new location, December 2013-January 2014, Seattle, WA
Skagit Valley College - Pop Hybrids, January/February 2014, Mount Vernon, WA
Bherd Studios Gallery - Here, 2-person show with Kellie Talbot, February/March 2014, Seattle, WA
Center on Contemporary Art - annual juried exhibition, 'Postglamism: Glam Art in the 21st Century', Juror Mike Sweney, May 15 to August 21, 2014, Seattle, WA
BayARTS - 'A Strange Holiday: An Aesthetic Examination of the Sam Sheppard Case' , group show curated by Ross Lesko, August 2014, Cleveland, OH
Kenneth Paul Lesko Gallery - Cinema 05, group show, September/October, 2014, Cleveland, OH
Columbia Winery - Here Again, 2-person show with Kellie Talbot, October-December 2014, Woodinville, WA
Seattle Art Museum REMIX - November 7, 2014, Seattle, WA
2013
Slocumb Galleries, ETSU Campus, 28th Positive Negative National Juried Art Exhibition, Juror Michael Ray Charles, February/March 2013, Johnson City, TN
Galleray - Galleray: P.O.P. IN PROGRESS, April 2013, New York, NY
Kenneth Paul Lesko Gallery - Pop Hybrids, solo show, May/June 2013, Cleveland, OH
Bilinear Art, Seattle Design Center - Pop Hybrids, June-October 2013, Seattle, WA
Axis Gallery, September 2013, Seattle, WA
Bherd Studios Gallery - Introductions, October 2013, Seattle, WA
2012
SOIL Gallery - N/ICE, January 2012, Seattle, WA
Object Gallery - University of Washington's 'Strange Coupling', collaboration with Lacy Draper, March 2012, Seattle, WA
The Piranha Shop - Duped!, collaboration with Kate Lien in cooperation with NCECA, March 2012, Seattle, WA
The Black Lodge - Noise, Curated by Margot Bird and Nils Petersen, March 2012, Seattle, WA
Seattle Art Museum: Set The Table For SAM - June 29th, 2012, SAM Sculpture Park, Seattle, WA
Bumbershoot - Elvistravaganza, group show curated by Marlow Harris and JoDavid, September 2012, Seattle, WA
Bherd Studios Gallery - By the Yard, Group Exhibition curated by John Osgood and Michele Osgood, September 2012, Seattle, WA
Seattle Art Museum Gallery - Digital Connections, Group Exhibition, curated by Barbara Shaiman, September 2012, Seattle, WA
Kenneth Paul Lesko Gallery - Cinema 03, group show, September/October, 2012, Cleveland, OH
BAYarts - The Bomb, group show, curated by Ross Lesko, Gallery Director at Kenneth Paul Lesko Gallery, November/December, 2012, Cleveland, OH
LxWxH - Outside the Box, group show, curated by Sharon Arnold, Inaugural gallery exhibit, December, 2012, Seattle, WA
Joe Bar, group show curated by Ben Beres, November 2011, Seattle, WA
2011
SEATTLE MAGAZINE 2011 SPOTLIGHT AWARD: TROY GUA - Profile by Bond Huberman
Ghost Gallery - Matryoshka, group show curated by Michael Alm, December 2011, Seattle, WA
Interstitial Theatre - AUDIO/VISUAL, group show, December 2011, Seattle, WA
Joe Bar, solo show curated by Ben Beres, November 2011, Seattle, WA
NEPO House - Nepo Little Treats: The Sweet Life (Act Like You're Interested), solo show curated by Klara Glosova, November 2011, Seattle, WA
Kenneth Paul Lesko Gallery - Cinema 02, group show, September/October, 2011, Cleveland, OH
Vignettes - Memes, group show curated by Sierra Stinson, September 19, 2011, Seattle, WA
NEPO House - Nepo 5K Don't Run, group show curated by Klara Glosova, September 10, 2011, Seattle, WA
Bumbershoot - Bumber By Number, group show curated by Marlow Harris and JoDavid, September 2011, Seattle, WA
Seattle Art Museum REMIX - August 12, 2011, Seattle, WA
Show and Tell - group show curated by Sierra Stinson and Victoria Yee Howe, August 13 + 14, 2011, NYC
MadArt at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery at the University of Washington - group show, August 2nd to 6th, 2011, Seattle, WA
MadArt: MadHomes Project - group show, July 15 through August 7th, 2011, Capital Hill, Seattle, WA
Seattle Weekly's Artopia - group show, July 14th, 2011, Seattle, WA
Seattle Art Museum: Set The Table For SAM - June 13th, 2011, SAM Sculpture Park, Seattle, WA
Seattle Art Museum: TASTE - featured with Kate Protage, curated by Barbara Shaiman, June - September 2011, Seattle, WA
LxWxH - (xWC), subscription art project conceived and curated by Sharon Arnold, featured with Erin Shafkind and Anne Blackburn, May 2011, Seattle, WA
Victor Hugo House - A Good Line: Artists on Poems, group show curated by Jennifer Borges Foster, April 2011, Seattle, WA
SOIL Gallery - Bloom and Collapse, group show curated by Susanna Bluhm and Amanda Manitach, in collaboration with Shaun Kardinal, February 2011, Seattle, WA
2010
The Living Room - Pissing Contest, Solo Exhibition, curated by Amanda Manitach, December 2010, Seattle, WA
SOIL Gallery - Vs the Matador - Gift Shop, Seattle, WA
Seattle Art Museum Gallery - Featured Artist, Group Exhibition, curated by Barbara Shaiman, November 2010, Seattle, WA
Woodland Park Zoo - Limited Edition Campaign - commissioned artwork, November 2010, Seattle, WA
SOIL Gallery - Fine Art Auction, October 2010, Seattle, WA
Kirkland Art Center - REDUX Fine Art Auction, October 2010, Kirkland, WA
NEPO House 4 - Air, Water, Fire (We Will Leave the Earth Behind) Group Exhibition curated by Klara Glosova, September 2010, Seattle, WA
Bherd Studios Gallery - You're So Vain, Group Exhibition curated by Kate Protage and Chris Sheridan, September 2010, Seattle, WA
Northwind Arts Center - Pop This with Mike Leavitt, September 2010, Port Townsend, WA
SOIL Gallery - Xanadu: A Stately Pleasure Dome, Group Exhibition curated by Erin Shafkind, August 2010, Seattle, WA
Monarch Contemporary - Meet Greet Rinse Repeat, Solo/Collaboration Exhibition, April 2010, Seattle, WA
Alexis Hotel - Group Exhibition curated by Seattle Art Museum Gallery Director, Barbara Shaiman, April - July 2010, Seattle, WA
Fulcrum Gallery - Monument, Solo Exhibition, January - March 2010, Tacoma, WA
Twilight Artist Collective - Bad Words, Group Exhibition, curated by Chris Crites, February 2010, Seattle, WA
South Seattle Community College - live+work, Group Exhibition, February 19 - March 19, Seattle, WA
Artist Trust 2010 Auction - February 2010, Seattle, WA
Seattle Erotic Art Festival - Invited Artist, curated by Chris Crites, April 2010, Seattle, WA
Canoe Social Club - Do You Still See Me?, Solo Exhibition, Main Gallery, December 2009 - June 2010, Seattle, WA
2009
Flatcolor Gallery - TWOTHOUSANDTEN, Group Exhibition, December 2009, Seattle, WA
Kirkland Art Center - REDUX Fine Art Auction, December 2009, Kirkland, WA
C Art Gallery - Susan G. Komen Benefit Juried Exhibition, group show, October 2009, Seattle, WA
The New Guard - Inaugural Artist, curated by Joey Veltkamp, solo show, September 2009, Seattle, WA
Vermillion Gallery - Do You See Me?, Solo Exhibition, July 2009, Seattle, WA
Seattle Art Museum Sales and Rental Gallery - Introductions 2009, Group Exhibition, March 2009
8th Annual PONCHO Invitational Fine Art Auction - Fall 2009, Seattle, WA
Seattle Erotic Art Festival - Invited Artist, curated by Sharon Arnold, May 2009, Seattle, WA
Vermillion Gallery - Group Exhibition, March 2009, Seattle, WA
ArtsWest - The Feminine Myth, Group Exhibition, March 2009, West Seattle, WA
The Hideout - Seattle, WA
Halogen Gallery - Local Aesthetic, Group Exhibition with Greg Boudreau and Ryan Molenkamp, January 2009, Seattle, WA
Second Annual Collective Visions Gallery Show - February 2009, Bremerton, WA, Juror Gary Faigin, co-founder and Artistic Director of the Gage Academy of Art
2007/2008
Art Port Townsend - October 2008, Northwind Arts Center, Port Townsend, WA, Juror Barbara Shaiman, SAM Gallery Director, Special Award for "The Boy King of Pop"
Coos Art Museum - Expressions West 2008, April - July 2008, Coos Bay, OR, Juror Gary Faigin, co-founder and Artistic Director of the Gage Academy of Art
South Seattle Community College - Ready, Set, Go!, Group Exhibition curated by Renee Rhodes, June 2008, Seattle, WA
Canvas - Group Exhibition, June - July 2008, Pioneer Square, Seattle, WA
The Soda Gallery - Group Exhibition, February - April 2008, Dallas, TX
Suite 100 Gallery - Girls By Boys, Group Exhibition, February 2008, Seattle, WA
Lana Santorelli Gallery - Emerging Artists Show, Group Exhibition, September - October 2007, Southampton, NY
SELECTED CORPORATE INSTALLATIONS AND PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
The Bruce Lee Estate
The Platform – Tech firm, owned by Comcast, Seattle, WA
Tousley Brain – Law firm, Seattle, WA
Neverstop – special events, including Sundance film festival in the Microsoft lounge
Bis on Main – Restaurant, Bellevue, WA
Legacy Capital – Commercial real estate firm, Bellevue, WA
Bassetti Architecture – Architecture firm, Seattle, WA
Copacino – Advertising firm, Seattle, WA
Media Plus – Public Relations firm, Seattle, WA
Alexis Hotel - Seattle, WA
Stella Pitts – Law firm, Seattle, WA
Curran Mendoza – Law firm, Kent, WA
GA Creative – Advertising/Public Relations firm, Bellevue, WA
Cole & Weber – Advertising/Public Relations firm, Seattle, WA
Washington Athletic Club