Chella Man

  • Artist
  • Author
  • Activist

Renowned for his personal documentation of his experience in gender transition, Chella Man is celebrated for his motto "be your own representation." As a deaf, genderqueer, Chinese, and Jewish individual, Chella found he didn’t have role models to look up to, and so he became a voice and a true representation for himself and for others. With over 257K subscribers and many millions of views on his YouTube video entitled "One year on testosterone: voice updates," Chella is normalizing the conversation around gender issues for disabled and LGBTQ+ youth. 

A New York-based artist, director, and author, Chella's work features the continuums of disability, race, gender, and sexuality. He blends the genres of painting and performance art while simultaneously exploring sculpture, writing, and live workshops. He is currently a mentor and resident at Silver Art Projects located in The World Trade Center. Man has shown at institutions such as the Brooklyn Museum, Mana Contemporary, and will be exhibiting at The Pacific Design Center and The Abrons Arts Center this coming year. He was an artist-in-residence at the Palazzo Monti in Brescia, Italy in 2020. This past year, Man published his first book, Continuum, with Penguin Publishing, highlighting how to heal from systemic oppression and the revelations he has come to growing up. 

Through his talks, Chella opens up about his experiences transitioning on testosterone, navigating the world with a disability, and facing isolation while growing up within a small and conservative town in Central Pennsylvania. His TED Talk, "Becoming Him," offers an empowering investigation of gender, identity, race and disability. He hopes to continue pushing the boundaries of what it means to be accessible, inclusive, and equal in this world.

 



Chella Man photo 3
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Chella Man headshot
Past Hosts Include:
  • Georgetown University
  • Scripps College
  • Leslie-Lohman Museum
  • University of California
  • Apple
  • Savannah College of Art & Design
  • University of Oregon
  • University of Georgia
  • Pennsylvania State University
  • Northeastern University
Rave Reviews About Chella Man as a Speaker
The panel last night was a great success and I know SCAD is so pleased with how everything turned out. Thank you for all of your help getting Chella signed on to participate!

Chella Man thanks those who paved the way for his success as a 'deaf trans Jewish Chinese artist' | Attitude Awards - Get Sharable Link
Talks & Conversations with Chella Man
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Continuum

Artist, activist, and Titans actor Chella Man uses his own experiences as a deaf, transgender, genderqueer, Jewish person of color to talk about cultivating self-acceptance and acting as one's own representation, showing us that identity lies on a continuum -- a beautiful, messy, and ever-evolving r ...

Artist, activist, and Titans actor Chella Man uses his own experiences as a deaf, transgender, genderqueer, Jewish person of color to talk about cultivating self-acceptance and acting as one's own representation, showing us that identity lies on a continuum -- a beautiful, messy, and ever-evolving road of exploration.

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<p>Chella Man is a strong voice speaking out for the AAPI community</p>

Chella Man is a strong voice speaking out for the AAPI community

Artist, author and activist CHELLA MAN was recently featured in a Models.com piece showcasing top Asian fashion industry voices taking a stand against racism. In his commentary, he shared, “A frequent aggression is tokenization. When we are uplifted for the trend rather than true care for our community and personhood. I encourage all to set time and energy aside to educate themselves on ways to support and respect our communities.”

Chella Man is available to speak about racism and hate facing the AAPI community, but also about representation, the importance of inclusion and diversity across all sectors of identity, and his Asian heritage. He is frequently celebrated for his motto "be your own representation." As a deaf, genderqueer, Chinese, and Jewish individual, Chella found he didn’t have role models to look up to, and so he became a voice and a true representation for himself and for others. His talks are honest, vulnerable spaces where he shares about these identities and how they intersect. His discussions are both a place for people in these communities to seek comfort and validation as well as people from outside these communities to learn how to be a good ally. He hopes to continue pushing the boundaries of what it means to be accessible, inclusive, and equal in this world.

<p><strong>Gift your audience copies of Chella Man’s Continuum to build buzz and inspire long after the evening is over</strong></p>

Gift your audience copies of Chella Man’s Continuum to build buzz and inspire long after the evening is over

Artist, author, and activist CHELLA MAN wrestles with the essential question of identity in this powerful and honest new book, Continuum, which is part of the young adult social change issues series known as the Pocket Change Collective. Chella’s story is one of coping and resilience, as he journeys through his experiences as a deaf, transgender, genderqueer, Jewish person of color, and shows us that identity lies on a continuum — a beautiful, messy, and ever-evolving road of exploration. With a message as powerful and inspiring as Chella’s, the reverberations continue long after the event is over. Gifting your audience members a copy of Chella’s book leaves them with a tangible memento of your event in addition to a means to solidify the takeaways. 

<p>Virtual Programming: Chella Man provides candid and empowering lessons on inclusivity </p>

Virtual Programming: Chella Man provides candid and empowering lessons on inclusivity 

Renowned for his personal documentation of his experience in gender transition, Gen-Zer CHELLA MAN is celebrated for his motto "be your own representation." As a deaf, genderqueer, Chinese, and Jewish individual, Chella found he didn’t have role models to look up to, and so he became a voice and a true representation for himself and for others. With over 290K subscribers and many millions of views on his YouTube videos, Chella knows how to engage virtual audiences, and has been sought-out for a virtual moderated conversation for Penn State's Pride Month Programming, engaged in a virtual Yahoo interview, shared "5 things to do at home" during quarantining, and is using his platform to support the homeless LGBTQ+ community amid the coronavirus pandemic

Through his talks, Chella opens up about his experiences transitioning on testosterone, navigating the world with a disability, and facing isolation while growing up within a small and conservative town in Central Pennsylvania. His TED Talk, "Becoming Him," offers an empowering investigation of gender, identity, race and disability. His short film that he wrote, edited, directed, and co-produced, The Beauty of Being Deaf, discusses reframing how the world thinks about hearing loss.

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Books by Chella Man
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Biography

A New York-based artist, director, and author, Chella Man's work features the continuums of disability, race, gender, and sexuality. He blends the genres of painting and performance art while simultaneously exploring sculpture, writing, and live workshops. He is currently a mentor and resident at Silver Art Projects located in The World Trade Center. Man has shown at institutions such as the Brooklyn Museum, Mana Contemporary, and will be exhibiting at The Pacific Design Center and The Abrons Arts Center this coming year. He was an artist-in-residence at the Palazzo Monti in Brescia, Italy in 2020. This past year, Man published his first book, Continuum, with Penguin Publishing, highlighting how to heal from systemic oppression and the revelations he has come to growing up. 

The intersections of Chella's identities as a Deaf, trans, Chinese and Jewish artist evoke a unique perspective. Before learning the language to articulate his experiences, art was a loophole. Creating visuals enabled him to express himself when lacking the proper language. Art became his catharsis when coming to terms with his emotions and views on disability, gender, race, sexuality. This relationship remains today within his work.

Through his talks, he opens up on his experiences transitioning on testosterone, navigating the world with a disability, and facing isolation while growing up within a small and conservative town in Central Pennsylvania.

With over 257K subscribers and millions of views on his YouTube channel, Chella is a true representation for many communities as he advocates for those within the disabled and/or queer communities.

He hopes to continue pushing the boundaries of what it means to be accessible, inclusive, and equal in this world.