Adrian Armstrong's (b.1990 Omaha, Nebraska) multidisciplinary practice, which encompasses drawing, painting, installation, and sound, documents the contemporary Black experiences in the United States. He is deeply interested in questions of how Black experiences intersect with the history of photography, portraiture, and collage.

Using friends, family members, and acquaintances as subjects, Armstrong’s single and multi-figural works probe the influence of place and popular culture on the formation of self-image, community, connection, tenderness, and love–both platonic and romantic. More specifically, he is interested in the complex ways race informs how we assign value to and interact in the spaces we occupy.

Armstrong draws heavily on his own identity politics and lived experiences to depict the narratives of Black life. Nested in intimate and poignant settings, his figures often embody a range of psychological states, including joy, happiness, introspection, and dysphoria. Armstrong’s works seek to inspire new ways of looking at the familiar. Ultimately, Armstrong’s work is an ongoing examination into the complexities of Black identity and representation.