moniquemeloche

About the Gallery
moniquemeloche was founded in October 2000, with its debut exhibition ‘Homewrecker’ at Meloche’s home, and officially opened to the public in May 2001. Diverse and inclusive since its inception, the gallery promotes politically minded contemporary art, aiming to be a bellwether for artistic talents early or under-recognized in their careers. Working with an international group of emerging and established artists in all media, the gallery presents conceptually challenging installations in Chicago and at art fairs internationally, with an emphasis on curatorial and institutional outreach.

Represented artists include: Luke Agada, Candida Alvarez, Sanford Biggers, Antonius-Tín Bui, David Antonio Cruz, Brendan Fernandes, Dan Gunn, Sheree Hovsepian, Rashid Johnson, Lavar Munroe, Ben Murray, Maia Cruz Palileo, Ebony G. Patterson, Cheryl Pope, Karen Reimer, Joel Ross, David Shrobe, Arvie Smith, Jake Troyli, Nate Young.

About the Presentation
moniquemeloche is pleased to present a solo presentation of works by Jake Troyli (b. 1990) at Independent. Taking cues from the technical and compositional elements of Northern Renaissance paintings, former Division I basketball player Troyli’s self-portraiture fuses comic language with social critique to explore the performance of identity and the commodification of the Black/Brown body—leading up to his first museum solo show in 2026.

This new body of work, initiated during Troyli’s year-long residency as the inaugural Visual Artist Fellow at the Académie des beaux-arts x Cité Internationale des arts in Paris, reflects a timely shift in his practice—from interrogating labor and value to examining humanity’s fixation on conflict. Inspired by the epic battle and martyr paintings seen throughout European museums, Troyli’s latest works grapple with our relentless need to construct narratives of heroism and villainy to define ourselves, questioning the elasticity of these roles and the spectacle of perpetual confrontation.

Currently completing a two-year residency at Project for Empty Space in Newark, NJ, Troyli continues to push the boundaries of contemporary figurative painting. His work is featured in Get in the Game: Sports, Art, Culture at SFMoMA, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, and Pérez Art Museum Miami, reinforcing his place as a vital voice in the ongoing discourse on identity, power, and societal conflict.