Deborah Roberts
Born in Austin, Texas, in 1969.
Education: BFA in Photography, University of Texas
Residencies: Coronado Studio, Serie Project, 2006, Ox-Bow Artists' 2005
My entire career as an artist is based on creating works that examine the way African Americans are viewed. Recently my work has shifted from making harmonious and pleasing narratives to a series of repeated abstractions that challenge black identity, sexuality and beauty. Our identity is tied up in how we are perceived and the misconceptions that have imprisoned our growth. Vying for acceptance from “mainstream America” is not the silver bullet we once thought. I am challenging this portrayed image, in particular, how media shapes this projection. (Some personalities such as rappers and politicians unwittingly reinforce such stereotypes.)
A repeating motif in my work is a dual image
of two women holding each other in a circumscribed circle. One head symbolizes
the pure ancestral link while the other head represents the culturally
manufactured response. I am reclaiming the black body aesthetics and sexuality
to the original woman and removing the filtered gaze. Through the process
of transferred monotypes, I push the tonal quality of the work by excluding
all midtones in order to focus the viewer and exaggerate this polarization.
Deborah Roberts
