Jeffrey Cheung
{{Short description|American artist and skateboarder}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jeffrey Cheung
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| birth_date = 1989
| birth_place = San Francisco Bay Area, U.S.A
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| education = University of California Santa Cruz
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| notable_works = Unity Skateboarding
There Skateboards
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Jeffrey Cheung (b. 1989), also known as Jeff Cheung, is an American artist, skateboarder, curator, musician, community organizer, co-founder of Unity Skateboarding and There Skateboards.{{Cite web |last=Dazed |date=2024-08-23 |title=This show celebrates San Francisco’s queer skate community |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/art-photography/article/64396/1/exhibition-san-francisco-black-queer-skate-community |access-date=2024-11-25 |website=Dazed |language=en}}
Early life and education
Cheung was born in 1989 and raised in the Bay Area, graduating from the University of California Santa Cruz.{{Cite web |title=Jeffrey Cheung |url=https://www.hashimotocontemporary.com/artists/44-jeffrey-cheung/ |access-date=2024-11-25 |website=Hashimoto Contemporary |language=en}}
Art
= Art practice =
Cheung paints and draws on canvas, paper, and other materials.{{Cite web |date=2018-11-26 |title=Skating to Equality With Artist Jeffrey Cheung |url=https://coolhunting.com/culture/skating-to-equality-with-artist-jeffrey-cheung/ |access-date=2024-11-25 |website=COOL HUNTING® |language=en-US}} In March 2024, Cheung was part of a group of artists who altered their own works on display at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts with messages in support of freedom for Palestinians and a ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Gaza war.{{Cite web |last=Voynovskaya |first=Nastia |date=2024-03-07 |title=YBCA CEO Resigns After Pro-Palestinian Protest and Boycott {{!}} KQED |url=https://www.kqed.org/arts/13953653/ybca-ceo-resigns-after-pro-palestinian-protest-and-boycott |access-date=2024-03-11 |website=www.kqed.org |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Lapin |first=Andrew |date=2024-03-07 |title=Jewish head of major San Francisco arts center resigns over anti-Israel artist protests |url=https://www.jta.org/2024/03/07/culture/jewish-head-of-major-san-francisco-arts-center-resigns-over-anti-israel-artist-protests |access-date=2024-03-11 |website=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |language=en-US}}
= Curating =
In August 2024, Cheung and Gabriel Ramirez curated a show titled Unity Through Skateboarding at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Skateboarding
= Unity Skateboarding =
Unity Skateboarding started as a monthly meet-up in 2012 after Cheung met Gabriel Ramirez and they decided to begin the initiative.{{Cite web |last=Taylor |first=Bianca |date=2018-03-03 |title=At Oakland's Queer Skateboarding Meet-Ups, Everybody Can Shred {{!}} KQED |url=https://www.kqed.org/news/11653010/at-oaklands-queer-skateboarding-meet-ups-everybody-can-shred |access-date=2024-11-25 |website=www.kqed.org |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2019-10-19 |title=Like It Or Not |url=https://officemagazine.net/it-or-not |access-date=2024-11-25 |website=Office Magazine |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Unity Skateboarding Creates a Radical Space For Queer Skaters to Ride Together |url=https://www.out.com/out-exclusives/2018/5/22/unity-skateboarding-creates-radical-space-queer-skaters-ride-together |access-date=2024-11-25 |website=www.out.com |language=en}} The Unity collective, officially known as Unity Press & Skateboarding, produces zines, boards, art, and parties{{Cite web |date=2017-08-18 |title=Meet the artist bringing queer culture to skateboarding |url=https://www.huckmag.com/article/queer-skateboarding-unity-press-jeffrey-cheung |access-date=2024-11-25 |website=Huck |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Benson |first=Eben |title=Juxtapoz Magazine - Jeffrey Cheung: Unity and Community, One Board at a Time |url=https://www.juxtapoz.com/news/magazine/features/jeffrey-cheung-unity-and-community-one-board-at-a-time/ |access-date=2024-11-25 |website=www.juxtapoz.com |language=en-gb}}{{Cite web |date=2018-11-26 |title=Skating to Equality With Artist Jeffrey Cheung |url=https://coolhunting.com/culture/skating-to-equality-with-artist-jeffrey-cheung/ |access-date=2024-11-25 |website=COOL HUNTING® |language=en-US}}The Unity collective hosts Unity Fest.{{Cite web |title=Unity Fest 2024 Photos |url=https://www.thrashermagazine.com/articles/unity-fest-2024-photos/ |access-date=2024-11-25 |website=www.thrashermagazine.com |language=en}}
In 2024, Unity released a video with Adidas titled, Fill the Hole in Yr Heart, starring Cheung, Maité Steenhoudt, Shag, Vitória Mendonça, Marbie, Shy’kiel, and others.{{Cite web |last=Blakely |first=Brian |date=2024-05-17 |title=Adidas New Video 'Fill the Hole in Yr Heart' is a Nod to Fun, Self-Expression and Raw Skateboarding |url=https://www.skateboarding.com/trending-news/adidas-presents-fill-the-hole-in-yr-heart |access-date=2024-11-25 |website=TransWorld SKATEboarding Magazine |language=en}}
= There Skateboards =
Established in 2017, Cheung runs There Skateboards, a collective and brand dedicated to supporting queer and trans skateboarders of color (QTPOC).{{Cite web |last=Cheung |first=Adam |date=2024-07-22 |title=There Skateboards' Nike SB Dunk Low is the latest release for a more inclusive sneakerverse |url=https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/there-skateboards-nike-sb-dunk-low-black-2024 |access-date=2025-01-30 |website=British GQ |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |date=2020-12-11 |title=Artist Spotlight: Jeffrey Cheung and There Skateboards – arts, ink. |url=https://artsatmichigan.umich.edu/ink/2020/12/11/artist-spotlight-jeffrey-cheung-and-there-skateboards/ |access-date=2025-01-30 |language=en-US}} There Skateboards is based out of Deluxe Distribution.{{Cite web |title=Chandler Burton on Makeup, Monster and Making a Living |url=https://www.thrashermagazine.com/articles/chandler-burton-on-makeup-monster-and-making-a-living/ |access-date=2025-01-30 |website=www.thrashermagazine.com |language=en}}
In 2024, There Skateboards released a Nike SB dunk.{{Cite web |date=2024-08-06 |title=There Skateboards’ Nike SB Dunk Low Is a Beacon of Acceptance |url=https://hypebeast.com/2024/8/there-skateboards-nike-sb-jeffrey-cheung-interview |access-date=2024-11-25 |website=Hypebeast}}
Personal life
Cheung is openly gay and engaged to Gabriel Ramirez.{{Cite web |date=2017-08-18 |title=Meet the artist bringing queer culture to skateboarding |url=https://www.huckmag.com/article/queer-skateboarding-unity-press-jeffrey-cheung |access-date=2024-11-25 |website=Huck |language=en}} Cheung is of Chinese-American descent.
References
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Category:American skateboarders