Atlanta native, Robert Hightower received his BFA in sculpture from the University of Georgia. Upon graduation, he moved to New York City and participated in The Bronx Museum of the Art’s AIM Fellowship (Artist In the Marketplace). While in New York, his interests expanded to include art installation and the creation of spaces, and has since designed and built many unique homes, penthouses and restaurants throughout the United States. When Robert returned home to Atlanta he presented his most comprehensive body of work to date, “The Apocalypse Simulacra.” This short-run immersive gallery installation was a narrative presentation of the twilight of humanity, at the fulcrum of extinction. His most recent series “Public Food,” is a quasi-narrative body of work that begins in medias res (Latin term meaning ‘into the middle of things,’) prodding at the future and stability of the industrialized world’s food markets and supply chains that we completely rely on for sustenance. The painting’s compositions are compressed & flattened, having no focal point. Together they emote an overwhelming, over-stimulated, and disorienting experience of grocery shopping, which, for Robert, brings to light many questions:“Where does all of this food come from?” Robert asks. “Who are the people working the land and who are the people reaping the benefits? What is industrial farming and what are feedlots? What are growth hormones, GMOs and Roundup and what are their lasting effects on consumers and the land? What does ‘organic’ mean? The branding, stickers, plastic wrap and marketing tell a story…but for what purpose and is it necessary?” “How does all of this food get shipped and distributed from its origin to the market shelf? We’ve all experienced recent supply chain disruptions and impacts, what happens if the supply chains completely break long term?”Robert’s paintings ask if this system as a whole is sustainable? Can we safely provide food for the eight billion people alive today and into the future?