Intertwined
Intertwined was inspired by the artist searching through her childhood photos. The central figure was pulled from one of Roebuck’s family photos, that featured her has a child, wearing her hair down—natural and carefree. The figures on either side of the central figure, inspired from another childhood photo of Roebuck swinging on their family farm. Intertwined captures the pure joy Roebuck had for her natural curly hair growing up and her re-found joy. The hair cascades off the canvas while simultaneously zigzagging and weaving through and around the figures and canvas, to further depict the celebration of the uniqueness of Roebuck’s natural curls. They are unapologetic as they camouflage parts of the canvas and figures to further honor of Roebuck’s hair.
Not Enough
This piece depicts the artist and her younger brother, specifically examining their racial impostor syndrome as biracial siblings adopted by an all-white family. Their racial impostor syndrome stems from multiple things, but in the past, they shared one thing in common: not being enough. Growing up, the artist and her brother, specifically in high school and first year of college (artist), they received comments from other individuals stating, “you are not white enough,” and “you are not black enough.” These comments fueled their racial impostor syndrome, causing them to not feel deserving of their biracial identity. While this piece is examining the concurrent feeling of growing up biracial and not feeling deserving of both halves, it is also depicting a joyous moment. Not Enough, depicts the artist and her brother leaning against one in another and surrounded by embroidered roses; specifically sharing a moment of embracing their true selves.
Interconnectedness I
This series specifically examines how the artist has been piecing together her racial wholeness. Through exploring her racial impostor syndrome in connection to not being enough, others asking if she can pass (as just being white or black), being raised by an all- white family, and navigating through a racially divided society. The artist has been continuously searching for her racial wholeness by specifically piecing together the hardship and joys thrust on her life as a biracial person. Being adopted by an all-white family and a society that thrives on racial divide, the artist believed she needed to deny half of herself just to find belonging in the world. Interconnectedness series is celebrating oneself by embracing all that is thrown onto you by life, specifically how everything is intertwined to form one’s racial wholeness.
He Is Biracial Series
Throughout He Is Biracial, Roebuck has sewn three portraits that depict three different ages (Middle School, High School, and College), that address her younger brother’s identity. This series focuses on a DNA test taken through ancestry to discover her brother’s ethnic backgrounds. In these portraits Roebuck infuses her canvas with patchwork, fiber, colorful oil pastel, buttons, and screen-print ink to piece together his racial identity. As a biracial man, her younger brother has felt like an outsider, feeling like he is not part of both of his identities. This work reveals that Roebuck’s brother is not an outsider, and he is deserving of both of his halves. While He Is Biracial is depicting that her little brother is deserving, it also takes inspiration from Roebuck’s I Am Biracial Series. Specifically, revealing that he is more than his skin color, and that he deservesmore than assumptions.
Deserving I
Deserving I, explores the upbringing of her biracial brother and the different experiences the two siblings faced by being adopted by a Caucasian family. With this piece, Roebuck reflects on family photos to piece together lost childhood memories, that explore the joy and celebration of growing up on a farm. Additionally, investigating moments of the past where the two siblings embraced their true selves, that of being biracial, and not questioning their existence within society or their family.
Cause I am a Country Girl
We Are Blood Series
We Are Blood Series, is a wood cutout featuring the artist as a child and her 3 older siblings. This piece is inspired by a poem entitled By Love, that Roebuck’s mother wrote to her on her 18th birthday. The poem By Love describes the joy of Roebuck being adopted and why her family wanted her. This wood cutout is referencing several stanzas and the most important one is stanza three, which states:
“… ‘She won’t have Roebuck blood…
Will she be a Roebuck?’…”
We Are Blood I is referencing a moment in time (around the age of 9 or 10) when the artist questioned her existence within her family and whether she was fully a Roebuck. This piece is not only depicting Roebuck’s fears of being a transracially adopted child, but We Are Blood I is celebrating that despite of not being of blood or looking alike, they are family.
A Tapestry of Difficulties I and II
A Tapestry of Difficulties
My hair caught on fire
By a candle the
Height
Of a child
A society where you
Are
Forced to decide
My older brother had to tackle
Me
To remove the flames
The constant internal conflict
Identity heightened
I didn’t understand
Why
My mother rushed me upstairs
And
Cried and cried
The struggles and struggles
Of
Trying to find
Your footing
The constant pressure
Of trying to fit
In
Indistinguishable and Incompatible
This piece is depicting the artist’s brother and herself, examining their similarities and differences with their racial impostor syndrome. Specifically, Roebuck’s brother’s racial impostor syndrome heightened growing up with friends he didn’t look like, while hers stemmed from a family she didn’t look like. While this piece is comparing and contrasting different experiences, it is also calling attention to the brutal notion that society places on one in other. Specifically, the categories it places on us and how we must select one in order to not be seen as an outsider.
