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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

Deborah Roberts: I'm

Sept 10, 2021 – Jan 30, 2022
1485 Delgany St, Denver, CO 80202, USA

“Once you see me as human, then we can coexist equally,” says the Texas-born artist Deborah Roberts. “That’s the basis of the work.” In her mixed-media portraits of Black children, Roberts layers images taken from the Internet and completes them with hand-painted details. She has chosen children as a subject deliberately, believing that the impact of racism, inequality, and unrealistic body-image ideals continues to shape their identities and their futures. In “I’m,” a solo show that was first exhibited in Austin, Texas, Roberts displays a new body of work, as well as a new sound, text, and video installation. —E.C.

Installation view, “Deborah Roberts: I’m,” The Contemporary Austin, 2021 © Deborah Roberts. Courtesy the artist; Stephen Friedman Gallery, London; and Vielmetter Los Angeles. Courtesy of The Contemporary Austin. Photo: Colin Doyle.