Installation view of “Deborah Roberts: Come walk in my shoes,” SITE Santa Fe, Santa Fe, N.M., 2023. | Photo by Byron Flesher, Courtesy SITE Santa Fe
On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions
THE FIGURATIVE WORKS of Deborah Roberts focus on Black youth. Roberts assembles the collage works with found images—an eclectic mix of facial features, limbs, and colorful and patterned clothing—finishing the compositions with painted details. The complex, dynamic portraits speak to the individuality of her subjects and ask viewers to consider the societal assumptions thrust upon them.
Originally, the Austin, Texas-based artist focused exclusively on girls. In recent years, she began portraying boys, too, further exploring preconceived notions around race, gender, beauty, masculinity, and vulnerability when it comes to Black children, and the tenuous innocence all too many of them experience.
SITE Santa Fe launched in 1995 as an international biennial exhibition. Today, its programming is grounded by a permanent contemporary art space where exhibitions are presented year-round. “Deborah Roberts: Come walk in my shoes” at SITE Santa Fe is the artist’s first solo museum show in New Mexico. The gallery exhibition features 13 mixed-media collages and works on paper and one sculpture. Considering Black boyhood in the United States, the works were made between 2018 and 2022. Roberts is also participating in the SITE Santa Fe’s Billboard Project. CT
“Deborah Roberts: Come walk in my shoes” is on view at SITE Santa Fe in Santa Fe, N.M., from Aug. 11-Nov. 6, 2023. Admission is free
FIND MORE about Deborah Roberts on her website and Instagram
DEBORAH ROBERTS, “Day in the life no.2,” 2022 (paper). | © Deborah Roberts, Courtesy SITE Santa Fe
Installation view of “Deborah Roberts: Come walk in my shoes,” SITE Santa Fe, Santa Fe, N.M., 2023. Shown, from left, “When pigs fly” (2022) and “Armor” (2018). | Photo by Byron Flesher, Courtesy SITE Santa Fe
Installation view of “Deborah Roberts: Come walk in my shoes,” SITE Santa Fe, Santa Fe, N.M., 2023. Shown, from left, “The feeding ground” (2018) and “Day in the life No. 2” (2022), “Day in the life No. 1” (2022), and “When pigs fly” (2022). | Photo by Byron Flesher, Courtesy SITE Santa Fe
DEBORAH ROBERTS, “Day in the life no.1,” 2022 (paper). | © Deborah Roberts, Courtesy SITE Santa Fe
Installation view of “Deborah Roberts: Come walk in my shoes,” SITE Santa Fe, Santa Fe, N.M., 2023. Shown, from left, “Armor” (2018) and “Subject: America #4” (2022). | Photo by Byron Flesher, Courtesy SITE Santa Fe
Installation view of “Age 10,” 2019 (mixed media collage on paper), “Deborah Roberts: Come walk in my shoes,” SITE Santa Fe, Santa Fe, N.M., 2023. | Photo by Byron Flesher, Courtesy SITE Santa Fe
DEBORAH ROBERTS, “Armor,” 2018 (mixed media and collage on canvas). | © Deborah Roberts, Courtesy SITE Santa Fe
Installation view of “Deborah Roberts: Come walk in my shoes,” SITE Santa Fe, Santa Fe, N.M., 2023. Shown, from left, “Pool boys” (2019) and “Boys wear pink” (2019). | Photo by Byron Flesher, Courtesy SITE Santa Fe
Installation view of “Deborah Roberts: Come walk in my shoes,” SITE Santa Fe, Santa Fe, N.M., 2023. Shown, from left, “trumpet of consciousness,” 2019 (steel, mixed media) and “The feeding ground,” 2018 (mixed media and collage on canvas). | Photo by Byron Flesher, Courtesy SITE Santa Fe
TOP IMAGE: Installation view of “Deborah Roberts: Come walk in my shoes,” SITE Santa Fe, Santa Fe, N.M., 2023. Shown, from left, “Notorious Act: at play (2021), “From feet to wings (Nessun Dorma Series) (2018), and “Notorious Act: resting” (2021). | Photo by Byron Flesher, Courtesy SITE Santa Fe
BOOKSHELF
Forthcoming in November, “Deborah Roberts: Twenty Years of Art/Work” explores two decades of the artist’s work. The volume includes a foreword by Chicago photographer Dawoud Bey, conversation between Deborah Roberts and scholar Sarah Elizabeth Lewis, and texts by writer and curator Ekow Eshun and author and artist Carolyn Jean Martin. “Deborah Roberts: I’m” was published on the occasion of an exhibition of the same name at The Contemporary Austin, the artist’s first solo museum show in her hometown. “Deborah Roberts: The Evolution of Mimi” accompanied a solo exhibition of Roberts at Spelman College Museum of Fine Art in Atlanta, Ga.
