biography
Jonathan Yubi (b. 1993, Bronx, New York) is a first-generation Ecuadorian-American painter based in Bergenfield, New Jersey. His work explores labor, identity, and social unrest through parable-like narratives. His paintings center on construction workers—both documented and undocumented—placing them within historical landscapes and contemporary events to examine labor struggles as a defining thread of Pan-American history. (References/reading list)
Yubi earned his BFA from Lehman College, CUNY, and previously studied at Memphis College of Art and the University of Central Florida. From 2016 to 2017, he produced Artborne Magazine, a monthly arts publication in Central Florida focused on contemporary art and culture.
His work has been exhibited at the Montclair Art Museum, Anna Zorina Gallery, 17 Frost Gallery, Satellite Gallery, and CityArts Factory, among other venues. He presented a solo exhibition with MiA Gallery in Philadelphia and has participated in exhibitions and public programs connected to New Jersey Monuments to Migration and Labor, a Mellon Foundation-funded initiative. He was an artist-in-residence at Guttenberg Arts as part of the 2025 Space and Time Residency and received a 2026 Individual Artist Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
solo exhibitions
2025 Already Hasn’t Happened. Mission in Arts. Philadelphia, PA
2025 Almost Two Fifty. Bergenfield Public Library. Bergenfield, NJ
select group exhibitions
2026 ARTS 14C Showcase Exhibition. Arts 14C, Jersey City, NJ upcoming
2026 Otherism. Puffin Cultural Forum, Teaneck, NJ upcoming
2026 Monuments to Migration and Labor. Noyes Arts Garage, Atlantic City, NJ
2025 Space + Time. Guttenberg Arts, Guttenberg, NJ
2025 Siembra. Black Brick Project. Brooklyn, NY
2025 Making Time. Parsons School of Design. New York, NY
2025 The Morning Club. Black Brick Project. Brooklyn, NY
2025 Exploring The Bias Inside Us. Monmouth Museum. Lincroft, NJ
2025 40 Under 40. Long Beach Foundation of the Arts & Sciences. Loveladies, NJ
2025 Event Horizon. Field Projects. New York, NY
2025 SaveArtSpace; The People’s Art. Satellite Gallery. New York, NY
2024 New Jersey Arts Annual. Montclair Art Museum. Montclair, NJ
2024 New Jersey Sense of Place;Terminal A . Port Authority NY NJ. Newark, NJ
2023 The Life & Culture of Modern Day Latinidad. Montclair Studio. Montclair, NJ
2023 At Summer’s End. 17 Frost Gallery. Brooklyn, NY
2021 The Privilege of Getting Together. Anna Zorina Gallery. New York, NY
2019 Making Work Visible. CUNY LaborArts. New York, NY
grants & residencies
2026 New Jersey Individual Artist Fellowship
2025 Space And Time Artist Residency, Guttenberg Arts
2025 Long Form Community Artist, New Jersey Monuments to Migration and Labor
2025 coLAB Arts New Jersey Grant
2025 Apapacho Residency, PROartes Mex., Mexico City, Mexico
2024 Ridgewood Arts Foundation Grant
2023 Parsons Staff Council Professional Development Grant
press
El Mercurio | Pintor, hijo de migrantes ecuatorianos, destaca en EE.UU
Curatory Magazine | Interview with Jonathan Yubi
201 Magazine | These Seven Artists Might Call Bergen County Home
PROArtes Mex | Apapacho Residency
Hyperallergic | The Intimate Vignettes of the New Jersey Arts Annual
Bergen County | Discover Local Talent: Bergen County’s Annual Art Show
Montclair Local | Studio Montclair and Latinos of Montclair Present ‘The Life and Culture of Modern Day Latinidad’ Exhibit
Port Authority NY NJ | New Digital Artworks Added To Displays Throughout Newark Liberty International Airport
City University of New York/ LaborArts | Making Work Visible