Kobie Barber

Kobie Barber is a Buffalo-born and raised visual artist. Art has had a strong presence in his family throughout his life and it was this influence that molded Barber's own artistic talent. His mother is a talented charcoal artist, illustrator, and craftsman; his father has a passion for photography and videography He began developing his own style of art at an early age and has stated that he has changed his artistic style at least 8 times over the years.

Barber has admitted to never being concerned with conformity; for him, doing the same thing a hundred times is like eating the same thing for lunch every day. He started off with the simplest notebook lined paper, number two pencils, and ballpoint pens. He then moved to color pencils and markers before playing with acrylics, oils, spray paints, and even clay. He explores oils the most in his work as they give off the desired color and depth he most prefers. He has also been known to mix media, oils, and spray paint; these two mediums of paint play off each other in strange ways, allowing him to make some new visual effects.  

An important question Barber tends to pose is: “What is black art?”

A question he answers with:

“I am black and an artist, so do I produce Black Art? Is art considered Black Art because of the subject matter is Urban or Ethnic, or has some black theme? Is it art that stirs the soul, rebel rousing or maybe depicts images crying for freedom? Or would black art be that which has strong depictions of African/Pan-African objects, animals, or masks...bright colors wrapped around dark skin.

 Would my paintings of Whales be ‘Black Art’ because of the artist or because whales swim in African waters? What if I painted only landscapes of European country sides, with only white subjects? Would you call it Black Art?...or something by a confused black man?

 Is Black Art the depiction of the black experience or is it a depiction of the world through the eyes of a black person?”

Kobie Barber's artwork has been exhibited at The Langston Hughes Institute, Avenue Art And Frame, the Buffalo Science Museum, The Arts Council of Buffalo, El Museo, The Bowie/Mitchellville Diamond Foundation Fund in Washington, D.C., Niagara Arts and Cultural Center, The Kai Damali Gallery, Gallery 51, Sugar City, B-west Studio, The Regional Minority Purchases Counsel Inc., Infringement Festival 2008/ 2011, and the Burchfield Penney Art Center, among others.