During a period drowned in surface-level content and the relentless hum of algorithms that prioritize speed over substance, Malik Roberts' artwork forces you to stop, look, and actually feel. The Brooklyn-based artist, with deep roots in the South, creates work that refuses to sit quietly in a gallery. His paintings don’t ask for understanding, they demand presence. These aren’t just pretty distractions meant to fill a wall; they are visual sermons, coded with soul in every stroke.
When we first encountered Malik's work, we came across Hoop Dreams - a piece that captures a Black figure in motion, suspended between ambition and disintegration. His body, fractured into sharp, angular forms, hovers above a basketball court - typically a place of escape and glory. But here, it becomes something more: a stage for both the drive to succeed and the oppressive systems that weigh heavily on that pursuit. The figure’s foot shackled, and wrist in handcuffs, keeps him grounded in a struggle that no height or speed can outrun, a stark reminder of the forces that try to hold him back, no matter how high he jumps.
Hoop Dreams blends street culture with the reverence of Renaissance iconography, exploring the tension between striving for greatness and being bound by a painful legacy of oppression. It’s a meditation on the complexities of Black life - resilience, defiance, and the weight of systemic cycles that affect both body and spirit. The raw honesty of the work struck us immediately and made us think: 'this is the kind of art we’ve been waiting for, what the world needs.'
Nearly five years have passed since we first discovered Hoop Dreams and Malik Roberts, yet our fascination with his artistry has only grown stronger. Each new piece, including works from his 2024 collection like From Who They Hide, Sheisty No. 2, and This is Draining, continues to deepen our obsession.
What makes Malik' work so compelling is the way he paints his figures. They’re raw, dynamic, and deeply personal, yet universally relatable. Every piece feels like a cinematic still, with each brushstroke purposeful, capturing not just a figure but a story. He doesn’t simply depict Black life; he elevates it, unpacking themes of resistance, grief, joy, and transcendence with an honesty that confronts the complexity of identity and history. Trauma isn’t turned into spectacle, it’s examined, giving space for reflection on its weight and contradictions, without smoothing over the harsh truths.
Rooted in the spirit of the 90s, Roberts’ imagery carries a nostalgic undertone, yet it resonates powerfully with the present, lending his work a timeless quality that transcends eras. The vibrant reds, melancholic blues, and earthy tones form a visual language that is uniquely his own.
