About

J.R. Uretsky is an artist and musician from Rhode Island who collaborates with others to create collective emotional experiences, multimedia artworks, and music performances. Drawing on religious and intergenerational trauma, their work incorporates humor, personal narratives, and pop culture references to explore queer joy and grief, blurring the lines between autobiography and fiction. At the core of Uretsky’s work is a fascination with interpersonal relationships and emotions. Their multisensory artworks engage viewers with videos, music, and meticulously crafted abstract yet familiar objects that embody feelings from despair to pleasure. In their performances as J.R. and the Worship Band, Uretsky uses live music and video to satirize Western Evangelical worship, transforming personal trauma into collective catharsis. Audiences are invited to sing together about queer experiences, heartbreak, and going to therapy.