Jay Nathan T. Jore (b.1987; Lives and works in Cebu) is an artist, curator, and art historian whose practice delves deeply into the complexities of queer life, its history, and its profound influence on contemporary Philippine society. As an artist and curator, Jore contributed to group exhibitions exploring narratives and histories of the Bisaya bayot in shedding light on diverse and yet underrepresented accounts in the documentation of queer Filipino culture. His works delve into the concerns of queer life, its history and its impact on contemporary society. In 2022, he staged the solo exhibition, “Veneered Desires,” at Qube Gallery, exploring questions on queer Bisaya identity. It critically examined the intersections of queer identity, cultural heritage, and the aspirations for social progress. Jore pioneered the groundbreaking “Descendants” project in Cebu, bringing together queer artists from all over the country as a platform for representation through exhibitions, public programs, and other formats. He has also presented his research on queer identities and histories through academic conferences and lectures.

Currently, he is an assistant professor of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines Cebu and since 2018, he has been the curator and director of the university’s Joya Gallery and the coordinator of the Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts.He received his BFA from the University of San Carlos and his MA in Art Studies (Art Theory and Criticism) from the University of the Philippine, Diliman, with a thesis on the life and times of the Cebuano muralist Raymundo Francia and his extant ceiling paintings in the heritage churches found in the provinces of Cebu and Bohol. He is also the curator of the Tubô Cebu Art Fair, an annual grassroots platform for Visayan artists and has curated exhibitions for the Vargas Museum, the Kabilin Center of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc., the Cebu City Historical Affairs Commission, and the Visayas Art Fair among others. Under his direction, UP Cebu launched the UP Cebu Museum of Art and Culture, which aims to preserve and promote the rich creative traditions of Cebu and its neighboring islands. Apart from his research on queer identities, Jore has published several essays and articles on Cebuano art and design and its histories and theories. He is one of the authors of the seminal publication on the works of important artists of Cebu, Bantugang Sugbuanon, and wrote the biography of the realist painter Florentino Impas in the monograph Pangandoy, published in 2023.