Cheo González’s work explores the colonial influence of Christian art, focusing on the political instrumentalisation of its homoerotic content to promote notions of racial and sexual supremacy through the figure of a white, masculine God. He challenges these supremacist ideas by humanising such images in public spaces, reclaiming street billboards to create new, sexually and racially inclusive devotional images that foreground queer bodies and desires within the framework of sexual dissidence.
Cheo González (b. Chile) is a London-based artist, curator, and queer activist. He holds an MA in Fine Arts (Distinction) from Chelsea College of Arts, University of the Arts London (UAL), where he received the UAL International Postgraduate Scholarship and Accommodation Award.
González is the founder and director of The Queer Museum, a nonprofit initiative dedicated to promoting queer artists worldwide. In 2024, he curated and organized several major exhibitions in London, including The International Queer Art Exhibition, in collaboration with UAL, featuring artists from 25 countries, Sexual Dissidence (in Art Today), a project with Sotheby’s, RCA, and the National University of Brasília, and Desire & Consumption at Peckham Levels.
His artistic and curatorial work has been recognized with the UAL Bounce Fund Award and the Mead Fellowship shortlist for his book The Queer Art Atlas. He has participated in residencies such as the ADEMA Residency (Majorca) and the Millbank Residency (London) and was selected for the Weatherbys Private Bank Exhibition and the International Festival by the Academy of Visual Arts (Ljubljana). Additionally, he has been invited by UAL to lead critiques for MA students in the Singapore Art Group.
His work is part of notable collections, including the UAL Art Collection, the Museum of Sexual Diversity (Brazil), the Lusophone Museum of Diversity (Portugal), and the Diversa Institute. His practice has also been featured in publications such as Jesus Now (Abrams Books), where he appears alongside Cindy Sherman, David LaChapelle, and Pierre et Gilles.
CV
Education
2024 MA Fine Art, predicted First Class Honours, Chelsea College of Arts, (Expected Dec 2024).
1999 B.A. Communication, DuocUC, Santiago, Chile.
Exhibitions
2024 Solo exhibition, “Soulless”, Peckham Levels, London.
2024 MA Show. UAL Chelsea College of Arts, London.
2024 Afterwalls, Millbank Studio 18, London.
2024 Weatherbys Private Bank Exhibition, London.
2024 Semana del Arte de Mallorca ADEMA, Fundación Barceló, Palma, Spain.
2024 Desire and Consumption, Packham Levels, London.
2024 Sexual Dissidence (in Art Today), Studio 18 Millbank, London.
2024 Grounded, Cookhouse Gallery, London.
2024 Arts Chaplaincy Project, St Saviour’s, London.
2024 Everything Must Go, Chelsea College of Arts, London.
2024 International Exhibition, Academy of Visual Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
2024 The Third Space, 2024. University of the Arts London.
2024 Home. Simmons Farringdon, London.
2023 One, Cookhouse, London UK.
2023 The Little Show, Chelsea UAL, London UK.
2023 Everything is connected, Cookhouse, London UK.
2023 Departure Lounge, ALG 17 Gallery, London, UK.
2022 22=11, Museu Lusófono da Diversidade Sexual (on-line, Google Arts & Culture)
2020 Mil Metros, Museum of Sexual Diversity and Google Arts & Culture. (on-line)
2019 Diversa, 2018, Museu da Diversidade Sexual. São Paulo, Brazil.
2018 Bienal da Arte Sesc-DF, Sesc, Brazil.
2016 Donas da Historia, Caixa Economica Federal, Brazil.
2016 Horrible self-portraits, Brasilia.
2015 Caixas de Bonecas, Caixa econômica Federal, Brasilia.
2015 Dark Brazil, Brasília, Brazil.
2015 Escolhas, Caixa econômica Federal, Brasilia, Brazil.
2013 Persa del Arte, Factoría Santa Rosa. Santiago, Chile.
Selected Collections
UAL Art Collection, London, UK.
Museu da Diversidade Sexual, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Diversa Foundation, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Museu Lusófono da Diversidade Sexual, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Curatorial projects
2024 Sexual Dissidence (in Art Today), Studio 18 Millbank, London.
2024 Desire and Consumption, Packham Levels, London.
2024 The Queer Museum, International Annual Exhibition, Cookhouse Gallery, London.
2023 The Queer Museum, International Annual Exhibition, Memorial de América Latina, São Paulo.
2023 Afetos Dissidentes, Exhibition, The Queer Museum, Museu da Diversidade, São Paulo.
Honors/Awards
2023 UAL International Postgraduate Scholarship and Accommodation Award, UK.
2024 Selected for the UAL Art Collection, London, UK.
2024 UAL Bounce Fund Award, London, UK.
2024 ADEMA Univesity Residency, Majorca, Spain.
2024 Millbank Tower Residency, London, UK.
2024 Shortlisted, MEAD Fellowship 2024 for the project The Queer Atlas. UK.