Jamil Hellu

Jamil Hellu (b. 1976, Curitiba, Brazil) lives and works in Oakland, CA. Hellu’s work focuses on identity, queer representation, race, community, and cultural heritage through a multidisciplinary practice rooted in photography. His practice centers his own personal experiences as a queer multiracial immigrant, addressing homophobia and racialized forms of oppression.

He received his BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2003 and his MFA from Stanford University in 2010. His work has been included in solo exhibitions at The Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery at Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA (2024); Rebecca Camacho Presents, San Francisco, CA (2023); SF Camerawork, San Francisco, CA (2020); the San Francisco International Airport (2017); and the University of San Francisco, CA (2016); amongst others. He has been in group exhibitions at the Blanton Museum of Art, Austin (2023); the Cantor Arts Center, Palo Alto, CA (2023); Colorado Photographic Arts Center, Denver, CO (2023); San Francisco State University Fine Arts Gallery, CA (2023); Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX (2021); Apexart, New York, NY (2021); and San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, San Jose, CA (2020); amongst others.

Hellu has received grants from the Zellerbach Family Foundation (2020); the San Francisco Arts Commission (2019); the San Francisco Queer Cultural Center (2015); the Knight Foundation (2014); amongst others. He has been in residence at Radio28, Mexico City (2024); the Space Program, San Francisco (2023); the Cow House Studios Residency, Ireland (2022); the Recology Artist in Residence Program, San Francisco (2014); amongst others.

Hellu's work is in the collections of the Blanton Museum of Art, Austin and the Cantor Arts Center, Palo Alto.