Robin North is an interdisciplinary visual artist and educator who explores the intersection of photography, history, and systemic racism, focusing on the African Diaspora and the identity of Americans of African descent. North views photography as an active design inquiry, where image creation and curation raise questions about power dynamics, representation, and cultural biases. He reimagines historical photographic practices and utilizes new genres to create immersive experiences that reinterpret the past. This approach is informed by his reflections on the Pictorialist movement and his upbringing as a Black man in the rural South.
North's research involves collecting Black family archives in the deep rural South. He uses a participatory, human-centered design approach that prioritizes collaboration and shared authority. This methodology ensures the community's voices and perspectives are central to the research process, challenging traditional power dynamics in archival and research practices. He views these archives as acts of care, sources of ancestral intelligence and knowledge, and is concerned with the ethical representation of trauma and resilience.
North is recognized for his innovative approach to 19th-century photographic print processes, which he reimagines and combines with new technologies and genres to offer alternative interpretations of history. He holds a BFA in Photography and Digital Media from the University of Houston and an MFA in Art with a concentration in Photography and Multimedia from San Diego State University.