bio


Yrécha Gay Jheneall is a transdisciplinary fluid artist born and raised in Jamaica. Between childhood and adolescence, their life oscillated between Kingston and Portmore. Now living in New Orleans, Louisiana, their creative practice considers Afro-Caribbean people's movement, memories, and homemaking rituals as practice toward a liberatory and archival consciousness. Trécha aims to signify collective and individual notions of belonging, nativity, and embodiment through various modalities of wata, video, sound, performance, and installation – clarifying the relationship between the body, water and the land, activated within rituals and processes of labor, survival, death, and living.

Previous works and collaborations include Black Brown Biennale, Alternate Roots and Black Discourse (UK) – they have exhibited in their home and local gallery spaces, The Nic and Uptown Laundry. More recently Trécha has participated in the group exhibition wata ways, at the Alabama Contemporary Arts Center in Mobile, LA and Le sanctuaire at UNO St. Claude Gallery. Currently Trécha a part of the Arts Council New Orleans’ group exhibition, How You Doin’ New Orleans at Merchant House. They earned their MFA in Interdisciplinary Studio Arts at the University of New Orleans and currently employed as the Artist-Centered Program Associate at the Joan Mitchell Center in New Orleans, LA.


IMAGE CREDIT: TAJA JANEL
image credit: taja janel

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EDUCATION

2022   Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art, University of New Orleans, LA

2018   Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Studio Art (Honors), Marylhurst University, Marylhurst,OR

2013   Bachelor of Science in Management Studies, University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica

EXHIBITIONS

2024   Group Exhibition, How You Doin’ New Orleans, Merchant House, New Orleans, LA

2024   Online Exhibition, watabodies.me, soilsoul, New Orleans, LA

2024   Group Exhibition, Le sanctuaire , UNO  St. Claude Gallery, New Orleans, LA

2024   Group Exhibition, wata ways, Alabama Contemporary Art Center, Mobile, AL

2022   Solo Exhibition, Rituals of Belonging, UNO ST Claude Gallery, New Orleans, LA

2022   Solo Exhibition, Rituals of Belonging, The Artists’s Place of Residence, New Orleans, LA

2022   Solo Exhibition, KOULYE A: Moving Still, 2021, New Orleans, LA

2021   Group Exhibition, Uptown Laundry/Prospect 5 Opening Exhibition  (Satellite), New Orleans, LA

2021   Group Exhibition, The Body is the First Mother, Black Discourse, London, UK

2021   Group Exhibition, Soil Tongue: a southern language, Roots Weekend Virtual Gallery, New Orleans, LA

2019   Graduate Group Exhibition, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA

2019   Two-Person Exhibition, Magma Chamber,  (co-curated by Trécha Dacres) Portland, OR

2018   Group Exhibition, Ferguson Uprising, (curated by Teressa Raiford), Woodlawn MIC    Portland, OR

2018   Group Exhibition, Recent Graduates Exhibition, Blackfish Gallery, Portland, OR

2018   BFA Thesis Group Exhibition, The Art Gym, Marylhurst, OR

2017   Group Exhibition (Spring), The Art Gym (Marylhurst University), Marylhurst, OR

2017   Group Exhibition, The Confabulation (curated by  Derek Franklin), Mayer Gallery (Marylhurst                  University), Marylhurst, OR

SCREENINGS & COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS

2024   Digital Archivist, Website Editor, Photographer  & Video Editor, soilsoul, New Orleans, LA

2023   Graphic Designer, Queering Blackness, MLK Jr. Teach-In, Portland, Or

2023   Researcher & Digital  Archivist, modjeskamodjeskamodjeska, New Orleans, LA

2022   Videographer, modjeskamodjeskamodjeska, Los Angeles, CA

2021   Curator and Artist, Black Brown Biennale Black History/Futures Instagram Takeover, New Orleans, LA

2019   Performer, Dread Scott’s Slavery Rebellion Reenenactment, New Orleans, LA

2017   Printer, Community Printmaking Action, Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR  (in                    collaboration with Don't Shoot PDX)

RESIDENCIES

2021   Artist-in-Residence Soul Trip, Sakumono Estates, Tema, Ghana


EXPERIENCE

2024      Website Design, watabodies.me, New Orleans, LA

2024      Gallery Assistant, What’s Matter Here, Small Center, New Orleans, LA

2023      Installation Manager,modjeskamodjeskamodjeska, theshoreco, New Orleans, LA

2021      Instructor, Art Appreciation, University of New Orleans, LA

2019-21   Gallery Assistant, UNO St Claude Gallery, New Orleans, LA

2020      Exhibition Assistant to Juliana Kasumu MFA Exhibition, Carol Gallery, New Orleans, LA

2018      Studio Assistant to Derek Franklin, Portland, OR

2017      Don't Shoot PDX Community Printmaking Action, Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR

AWARDS AND GRANTS

2024      Finalist, City of New Orleans Percent for Art Collection, New Orleans, LA

2023      Platforms Fund Project Implementation Grant, soilsoul, New Orleans, LA

2023      Alternate Roots Artistic Assistance Professional Development Awardee, New                                     Orleans, LA

LECTURES, PRESENTATIONS AND WORKSHOPS

2024     Artist Talk, Le sanctuaire , UNO St. Claude Gallery, New Orleans, LA

2022     Artist Talk, Rituals of Belonging Closing Reception, UNO St, Claude Gallery New Orleans, LA

2018     Discussant: Proper Care & Feeding of  Young Artists, Portland, OR

INTERVIEWS, PODCASTS
  
2022     Shoutout LA, Interview, Los Angeles, CA, May 26, 2022

2019     Glen Henry, Interview, Build it and They Will Play, Episode 6, Portland, OR, June                            16, 2019

ONLINE PERIODICALS

2024     Burnaway Magazine, A Barrel Baby’s Call Log, by Yashi Davlos, December 4, 2024

2021     Back to Black, Zine  Issue 2 August 2021

2017     Sam Stites, Peace, Love and an open mic; June 22, 2017. https://pamplinmedia.com/lor/48-news/363897-          243834-peace-love-and-an-open-mic.

COLLECTIONS

2018     Decolonizing as Cathartic Practice(Sculpture), Dismantle and Change Building Center, Portland, OR



about

PRESS



2024     Art Writing Incubator Chapbook, Process is Critical, Burnaway Magazine, Dec 2,2024

2022     Shoutout LA, Meet Trécha Gay Jheneall | Transdisciplinary Artist, July 8, 2022
         https://shoutoutla.com/meet-trecha-gay-jheneall-transdisciplinary-artist/

2021     Back to Black, Zine  Issue 2 August 2021

2019     Glen Henry, Podcast, Build it and They Will Play, Episode 6, Portland, OR, June 16, 2019 

2017     Sam Stites, Peace, Love and an open mic; June 22, 2017.
         https://pamplinmedia.com/lor/48-news/363897-243834-peace-love-and-an-open-mic.

© 2025 TRÉCHA GAY JHENEALL