Deborah Roberts

Roberts is a mixed media collage artist whose figurative works delve into the intricate facets of Black subjecthood. Her art explores themes of race, identity, and gender politics, grappling with the concept of otherness within the context of prevailing societal norms of race and beauty.

Biography of Deborah Roberts

Deborah Roberts was born in 1962 in Austin, Texas, USA. She studied at the University of North Texas, the Pont Aven School of Contemporary Art, and the San Francisco Art Institute. 

Her accolades speak volumes about her impact and talent, including being named a Texas Medal of Arts Award Honoree in 2023 by the Texas Cultural Trust. She was also a finalist in the 2019 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition and a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grantee in 2016.

Roberts has participated in various fellowships, residencies, and workshops, including the Ox-Bow Art Residency (2005), Ginsberg-Klaus Award Fellowship (2014), Fountainhead Residency (2018), Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Residency (2019), among others.

Her exhibitions, both solo and group, have captivated audiences worldwide. Notable solo exhibitions include "What About Us?" at the Stephen Friedman Gallery in New York and "Come walk in my shoes" at SITE SANTA FE in New Mexico. Her works have been displayed in prestigious venues like the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens in Jacksonville and the California African American Museum in Los Angeles.

Deborah Roberts's Art Style

Roberts’s work confronts the traditional concept of universal beauty, advocating for a more inclusive and individualized interpretation of visual culture. Through a blend of found and altered images alongside hand-drawn and painted elements, Roberts employs collage techniques to elevate and add depth to her subjects.

Often focusing on young girls and increasingly, Black boys, her art challenges and redefines societal narratives surrounding American, African American, and art history. Despite being entwined with complex and problematic narratives, the boys and girls depicted in her work are portrayed as liberated individuals, empowered to carve out their own destinies and shape their own identities.