Jared Brook (American, born in Hungary 1997) is an abstract figure painter living and working in Chicago. Brook studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago graduating with a BFA in 2020. Although his parents are both American, Brook was born and raised in Central Europe. Growing up in a highly religious community, Brook struggled throughout adolescence with his sexuality and identity. Nods to his religious upbringing can be found in his work but are often juxtaposed by homoerotic themes. Brook paints his figures with an intensity and urgency reminiscent of the abstract expressionists but with a queer contemporary lens. Ideas of voyeurism, fragmented masculinity, and gay identity are always at the forefront of his work.