Black identity can be defined under the most dynamic circumstances, contends Jefferson Pinder and, in support of his theory, the mixed media and video artist provides personal and social commentary using his artwork in an accessible and familiar format. Inspired by musical soundtracks, Pinder marries popular culture and theatre into hypnagogic performances that underscore multi-layered leitmotifs of blackness.
Pinder considers his work to be anchored by an iconic American style and flavor, yet he stresses the universality of his themes and has investigated issues of race, identity and social mobility throughout the United States, as well as in Africa, Mexico, and Vietnam.
His videos, objects and installations have been exhibited in numerous group and solo shows in the U.S. and abroad, including the traveling exhibition, After 1968: Contemporary Artists and the Civil Rights Legacy at The High Museum of Art, For the Love of the Game at The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Recognize at The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Black Alphabet at The Zachęta National Gallery of Art in Warsaw, and Frequency at The Studio Museum in Harlem.
