Jonni Cheatwood | Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2025 | Sands Resorts Macao

Artist: Jonni Cheatwood

Jonni Cheatwood is a Brazilian-American contemporary artist known for his distinctive practice that fuses abstraction and figuration, personal narratives, and textile experimentation.

A self-taught artist, Cheatwood began painting in 2008 as a way to relieve stress and later earned a BA in Film and Media Studies from Arizona State University in 2011. He first gained public attention in 2012 with his Grace Series, which was selected in “The Next Artspace Artist” competition co-hosted by Artspace and Tumblr, marking the beginning of widespread recognition and media coverage.

His solo exhibitions have been held in Shanghai, Los Angeles, London, Finland and Taipei. He has also participated in international group shows and art fairs across the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

In 2015, Cheatwood collaborated with Yoobi and Usher to launch a charitable school supply collection, which sold over 10 million items and supported more than 700,000 students.

Artworks

Fleet of Foot, Full of Felt (2025)

Fiberglass, 210 (H) CM

Jonni Cheatwood sees this sculpture as a three-dimensional painting—full of movement, texture, and color. By merging Mercury, the Roman god symbolizing wisdom and communication, with Grover, the energetic and humorous character from his childhood memories on Sesame Street, he creates a work that blends seriousness with playfulness, mythology with personal identity.

At its core, this sculpture is a self-portrait. Through these two characters, Cheatwood expresses the way he navigates the world: in constant motion, rich with emotion, and touched by a bit of chaos. The piece carries both depth and a sense of play, serving as a visual representation of his personal identity and the rhythms of his life. For Cheatwood, this sculpture is more than just a playful figure — it is a reflection of his inner world, captured through color and form. It embodies the emotions and thoughts that shape his inner landscape, serving as a tangible expression of his current state of being.