Chella Man has found his joy

Intersections is a feature column that profiles creatives inside and outside the fashion industry. Each story is meant to shed light on how fashion, identity, art and culture play a vital role in inspiring and informing the work and lives of some of the chicest people we know.
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What makes you happy? Some may find it in fortuitous moments like finding a second-hand designer bag. Others secure it when they finally book a vacation or can channel it through artistic creation. For Pennsylvania-born artist Chella Man, it's the last. While cultivating happiness through creative means may seem like a frivolous affair, it's far from the truth. For many marginalized communities, art can be a beacon of hope in the darkest times, a form of protest and a beacon of joy in a world that tells you you're not worthy to have it. In many ways, this idea seems central to the essence of Chella Man. Art in all its forms has shaped the very being of man, so it is logical that he builds a career dedicated to it (a success that is more).

The man began exploring his relationship with art - and himself vicariously - at a young age. The world has come to know him as a model, director, activist, actor, artist and art curator over the past few years. The multi-hyphenated creation gained recognition when he began sharing his experiences as a deaf trans-male person on YouTube. Make no mistake though. Man cannot be put in a box. He made history multiple times by being the first Deaf Chinese American Jewish transmale to appear on the DC superhero series Titans and landing his first modeling contract with IMG. He hosted a TED talk, wrote an autobiography and was recently named a Nike ambassador. Basically, the man is here to do the work and set the framework for future generations, and his most recent project is the icing on the cake.

Man held his first collective exhibition of more than 14 disabled artists in New York called Pure Joy at the 1969 Gallery which runs from June 30 to August 14. The exhibition is dedicated to exploring what it means to center pleasure over pain, especially when the world at large associates your very existence with the latter. Again, art proves to be a powerful form of resistance, but you don't have to take my word for it. Ahead, you'll hear the man himself talk about what it was like to bring the project to life, the importance of cultivating joy, and of course, the role the arts played in his life.
Picture:
Courtesy of

Fashion Jul 7, 2022 0 98 Add to Reading List

Intersections is a feature column that profiles creatives inside and outside the fashion industry. Each story is meant to shed light on how fashion, identity, art and culture play a vital role in inspiring and informing the work and lives of some of the chicest people we know.

What makes you happy? Some may find it in fortuitous moments like finding a second-hand designer bag. Others secure it when they finally book a vacation or can channel it through artistic creation. For Pennsylvania-born artist Chella Man, it's the last. While cultivating happiness through creative means may seem like a frivolous affair, it's far from the truth. For many marginalized communities, art can be a beacon of hope in the darkest times, a form of protest and a beacon of joy in a world that tells you you're not worthy to have it. In many ways, this idea seems central to the essence of Chella Man. Art in all its forms has shaped the very being of man, so it is logical that he builds a career dedicated to it (a success that is more).

The man began exploring his relationship with art - and himself vicariously - at a young age. The world has come to know him as a model, director, activist, actor, artist and art curator over the past few years. The multi-hyphenated creation gained recognition when he began sharing his experiences as a deaf trans-male person on YouTube. Make no mistake though. Man cannot be put in a box. He made history multiple times by being the first Deaf Chinese American Jewish transmale to appear on the DC superhero series Titans and landing his first modeling contract with IMG. He hosted a TED talk, wrote an autobiography and was recently named a Nike ambassador. Basically, the man is here to do the work and set the framework for future generations, and his most recent project is the icing on the cake.

Man held his first collective exhibition of more than 14 disabled artists in New York called Pure Joy at the 1969 Gallery which runs from June 30 to August 14. The exhibition is dedicated to exploring what it means to center pleasure over pain, especially when the world at large associates your very existence with the latter. Again, art proves to be a powerful form of resistance, but you don't have to take my word for it. Ahead, you'll hear the man himself talk about what it was like to bring the project to life, the importance of cultivating joy, and of course, the role the arts played in his life.

Picture:

Courtesy of