All Ways Lead to the Mill

Aggregate Space Gallery & Qcc present:
All Ways Lead to the Mill
June 3 – June 18
Aggregate Space Gallery
http://aggregatespacegallery.org
Opening Reception: June 3, 6-10pm.
Artist Talk: June 11, 1pm.
Jamil Hellu

FREE

 

All Ways Lead to the Mill is a solo exhibition by visual artist Jamil Hellu, investigating the conflicts that emerge at the intersection of Middle-Eastern heritage and queerness. Exploring how we determine relationships to cultural histories and personal narratives, Hellu claims his identity in relation to his Syrian roots and Arab ethnicity. All Ways Lead To The Mill is inspired by a Syrian proverb about how different paths lead to the same destination. His work juxtaposes performative moving and still images to address homophobia and sexuality, creating a contemporary discourse about the implications of cultural lineage.

ARTIST’S BIOGRAPHY

Jamil Hellu is a visual artist who works primarily with photography and video installation. His work revolves largely around representations of identity, often exploring interpretations of sexuality. His practice draws from the potential of image-making to convey personal narratives while experimenting with visual possibilities to discuss the construction and multiplicity of cultural identities.

Hellu holds a Masters in Fine Arts in Art Practice from Stanford University and a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Photography from the San Francisco Art Institute. He was awarded the 2015-2016 Kala Art Institute Fellowship in Berkeley. He was selected for the Artist-in-Residence Program at Recology San Francisco in 2014, joining Recology’s selection committee as an advisory board member. Hellu received the Graduate Fellowship Award at Headlands Center for the Arts for 2010–2011. He was also granted a six-month residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris in 2008.