NEIGHBORS CHICAGO 2026
Juan Arango Palacios, Haylie Jimenez, and Sydnie Jimenez: Meu Povo (Mi Gente)
Viewing Room
Viewing Room
“Mi música no discrimina a nadie” - J Balvin
Feia is proud to present Meu Povo (Mi Gente), a three-artist activation that celebrates Black and Latin culture, hones in on Queer representation, and inspires a sense of belonging and community for the inaugural edition of Neighbors Chicago.
In a moment where cultural identity, migration, and chosen family continue to shape the contemporary social landscape, Meu Povo (Mi Gente) emerges as both a celebration and a call to gather. Rooted in the vibrancy of diasporic experience, the exhibition foregrounds Chicago-based artists whose practices reflect the layered realities of navigating Black, Latin, and Queer identities across borders. Translating to “My People,” the show speaks to an expansive notion of kinship that centers shared histories, resilience, joy, and collective care. Through sculpture, painting, and mixed-media approaches, the artists create space for visibility and affirmation, while honoring the communities that have shaped them. Meu Povo (Mi Gente) invites viewers not only to witness but to see themselves reflected in narratives of struggle and liberation, and to consider how art can function as a site of connection, healing, and radical belonging.
In a moment where cultural identity, migration, and chosen family continue to shape the contemporary social landscape, Meu Povo (Mi Gente) emerges as both a celebration and a call to gather. Rooted in the vibrancy of diasporic experience, the exhibition foregrounds Chicago-based artists whose practices reflect the layered realities of navigating Black, Latin, and Queer identities across borders. Translating to “My People,” the show speaks to an expansive notion of kinship that centers shared histories, resilience, joy, and collective care. Through sculpture, painting, and mixed-media approaches, the artists create space for visibility and affirmation, while honoring the communities that have shaped them. Meu Povo (Mi Gente) invites viewers not only to witness but to see themselves reflected in narratives of struggle and liberation, and to consider how art can function as a site of connection, healing, and radical belonging.
Juan Arango Palacios
Juan Arango Palacios (b. 1997, Pereira, Colombia) is a multidisciplinary artist based in Chicago. Raised in a traditional Catholic household, his childhood was shaped by migration from Colombia to southern Louisiana, where language barriers, cultural displacement, and the negotiation of a queer identity influenced his sense of belonging. He earned his BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2020 and is currently an MFA candidate at the University of Chicago. Arango Palacios has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in cities including Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, London, and Bordeaux.
Sydnie Jimenez
Sydnie Jimenez (b. Orlando, FL 1997) received a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2020) focusing in ceramic sculpture and is a recipient of the Windgate-Lamar Fellowship. Much of her work centers around the representation and humanization of black and brown youth in the context of her lived experiences. She has recently shown with galleries in the US and abroad including John Doe Gallery (LA), Mindy Solomon Gallery (Miami), and Joy Machine (Chicago). Jimenez was recently a resident artist at Bedstuy Artes in NYC and previously at Palazzo Monti in Italy. She currently lives and works in Chicago, IL.
Haylie Jimenez
Born in Orlando and raised in rural North Georgia, Jimenez later moved to Chicago to attend the School of The Art Institute of Chicago (BFA 2020). Finding Black and Brown Queer community in Chicago and her long lasting relationships with friends and family in Georgia provide pivotal influence for her work, which focuses on the importance of belonging, collective care, self expression, and moving through hardships to times of joy together within these communities. Jimenez is currently living in Chicago, developing her ceramic drawing practice alongside her collaborator and twin, Sydnie Jimenez.
Feia
Founded by husband-duo Thomas Martinez Pilnik and Jake Cavallo, Feia celebrates failure, brings people together, and curates beautiful spaces with unconventional features. Feia, meaning Ugly in Portuguese, is more than just an insult. It expresses curiosity, intrigue, excitement, novelty, beauty, disgust, and everything in between. Feia recently constructed and opened a brand new 1200 square foot gallery building in Los Angeles.
Juan Arango Palacios (b. 1997, Pereira, Colombia) is a multidisciplinary artist based in Chicago. Raised in a traditional Catholic household, his childhood was shaped by migration from Colombia to southern Louisiana, where language barriers, cultural displacement, and the negotiation of a queer identity influenced his sense of belonging. He earned his BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2020 and is currently an MFA candidate at the University of Chicago. Arango Palacios has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in cities including Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, London, and Bordeaux.
Sydnie Jimenez
Sydnie Jimenez (b. Orlando, FL 1997) received a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2020) focusing in ceramic sculpture and is a recipient of the Windgate-Lamar Fellowship. Much of her work centers around the representation and humanization of black and brown youth in the context of her lived experiences. She has recently shown with galleries in the US and abroad including John Doe Gallery (LA), Mindy Solomon Gallery (Miami), and Joy Machine (Chicago). Jimenez was recently a resident artist at Bedstuy Artes in NYC and previously at Palazzo Monti in Italy. She currently lives and works in Chicago, IL.
Haylie Jimenez
Born in Orlando and raised in rural North Georgia, Jimenez later moved to Chicago to attend the School of The Art Institute of Chicago (BFA 2020). Finding Black and Brown Queer community in Chicago and her long lasting relationships with friends and family in Georgia provide pivotal influence for her work, which focuses on the importance of belonging, collective care, self expression, and moving through hardships to times of joy together within these communities. Jimenez is currently living in Chicago, developing her ceramic drawing practice alongside her collaborator and twin, Sydnie Jimenez.
Feia
Founded by husband-duo Thomas Martinez Pilnik and Jake Cavallo, Feia celebrates failure, brings people together, and curates beautiful spaces with unconventional features. Feia, meaning Ugly in Portuguese, is more than just an insult. It expresses curiosity, intrigue, excitement, novelty, beauty, disgust, and everything in between. Feia recently constructed and opened a brand new 1200 square foot gallery building in Los Angeles.