Let Them Be Children (Primary Title)
Deborah Roberts, American, born 1962 (Artist)
Deborah Roberts investigates the unease in which social constructs and perceptions impact individuals and communities. In Let Them Be Children, she implores viewers to preserve the innocence and sense of well-being of young Black children as they seek to build their own identities while navigating society’s preconceived constructions about their worth in society.
Roberts’s collaged ensemble of children has a dynamic liveliness to it. Disparate arms and legs jut out at varying angles, suggesting childlike movement or playfulness. However, Roberts subtly complicates the composition by sprinkling in a few gestures of wariness or a solemn expression, reminding the viewer of the social pressures placed on children, causing them to grow up far too quickly.
"The Dirty South: Contemporary Art, Material Culture, and the Sonic Impulse", VMFA, May 22 - September 6, 2021
Art Basel Miami Beach, December, 2018
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