biography
Jonathan Yubi (b. 1993, Bronx, New York) is a first-generation Ecuadorian-American painter from Bergenfield, New Jersey. He paints laborers—often construction workers whose reflective vests and hard hats serve as iconic visual markers. He weaves these figures into parables, historical landscapes, and self-invented mythologies, drawing on a childhood spent reenacting books and films. His work explores themes of identity, labor, and social unrest, situating workers within the broader context of Pan-American labor histories. (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. His work has been exhibited at the Montclair Art Museum, Anna Zorina Gallery, 17 Frost Gallery, and Satellite Gallery, among others. He has a solo exhibition with MiA Gallery in Philadelphia and will participate in the upcoming Space + Time Residency at Guttenberg 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
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
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