Robert Pruitt (b. 1975, Houston, TX) is known for his drawings, videos, and installations examining the historical and contemporary experiences of African Americans and the Black body and identity. Using references to hip hop, science and science fiction, technology, comic books, Black political struggles, and traditional cultures, he creates a series of fictional portraits with an ambiguous but shared narrative that suggests a radical Black past, present, and future.

Pruitt was a participating artist in the 2006 Whitney Biennial and has had solo exhibitions at the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston (2006), The Studio Museum in Harlem (2013), and the California African American Museum, Los Angeles (2019). Pruitt received his BA from Texas Southern University (2000) and MFA from the University of Texas at Austin (2003). He lives and works in New York City.

Robert Pruitt (b. 1975), "A Song for Travelers" (detail), 2022. charcoal, conté, and pastel on paper, mounted onto four aluminum panels. Courtesy of the artist and Koplin Del Rio Gallery. Image courtesy of Adam Reich.

I’ve shifted some thinking toward revisiting the world I came from, Houston. I’m interested in trying to concretize some of those ephemeral things that I saw, felt, or heard.

- Robert Pruitt

Robert Pruitt (b. 1975), "A Song for Travelers," 2022. charcoal, conté crayon and pastel on paper mounted on aluminum. 84 x 240 in. Courtesy the artist and Koplin Del Rio Gallery. TGM3. Photography by Mitro Hood. Courtesy of the Mississippi Museum of Art and Baltimore Museum of Art.