The Rob-Art Report (Winter/2025)

As I look back on the past year, I can feel how much my intentions shaped everything that followed. My goal heading into 2025 was not just to gain exposure. I wanted real relationships. Real partnerships. Real community. I wanted to build something that could hold me up as an artist and also challenge me to grow.

(L) Dr. Akilah Cadet, (R) Robert Hightower

Partnering with Dr. Akilah Cadet was the beginning of that shift. Through her support I was able to travel and experience the SF Art Fair and Frieze Los Angeles from a vantage point I had never had before. I got to see the ecosystem behind the curtain, the real players in the art world moving pieces, building careers, shaping conversations. I met artists I admire and collectors who were open to really talking thru process and career trajectory. For the first time I felt like I was learning the rhythm of an industry I once thought was closed off to people like me.

Her partnership also opened the door for me to be the featured artist at an Oakland Roots FC game. That experience pushed me to develop a full gallery of works that were not only personal but intentionally forward looking. Pieces that showed where I was going as a storyteller and not just where I had been. It was a moment that created buzz for my brand, but more importantly it gave me confidence to keep trusting the path I am on.

During all of this I was lucky enough to connect with Mike Henderson again and again. Most people do not know the impact he has on my journey, but he is the lighthouse for me.

Mike Henderson (L), Robert Hightower (R)

His ability to create across mediums while keeping his work honest and pure is something I deeply admire. Being around him teaches me that a creative life is not something you chase. It is something you are. Through him my circle widened and I felt myself stepping fully into a space I used to tiptoe around. I realized I belong.

Even with the travel, partnerships, and behind the scenes learning, I stayed busy with shows throughout the second half of the year. The most meaningful moment came at 111 Minna Gallery. That show was the closest I have ever come to presenting my full truth as an artist. It walked people through my childhood, the ways I survived silence, and how therapy helped me rebuild myself piece by piece. Some saw the work as eerie or dark. I saw it as honest, courageous, and deeply human. It was art about people and for people. In my familiar black, white, and red I let the emotional weight spill across the walls. The room was full of family, friends, and so many new supporters. In that moment all the late nights and early mornings felt worth it.

"The One Time Talker" show at 111 Minna Gallery

I tried not to slow down after Minna. I hosted a pop up in Mill Valley where over forty pieces found new homes and I signed up for three group shows, Pancakes and Booze, Early Burdz and Rosebud Gallery. I also partnered with Red Oak Realty for a unique installation in El Cerrito.

Every show serves as a reminder of the privilege it is to create, share, and engage in group installations, highlighting why I pursue this work. Sharing art in real rooms with real people will always hit different than a phone screen ever could.

With one month left in the year I am preparing for my final appearance of 2025 at the Early Burdz group show. This, following a very successful reception with Red Oak where I welcome current new collectors who purchased work. I am also waiting to hear back on a few opportunities I applied for, hoping one or two of them breaks in my favor. Regardless of the outcome, this year gave me more than I ever expected.

And now here comes the part that surprises people. I do not want a break. I do not want to slow down. I am walking directly into 2026 with momentum. I am locked in for two solo shows. The first will mark a major milestone for me. I will be the inaugural artist for the new Bader and Simon Gallery in Cincinnati, Ohio.

(L)Robert Hightower, Middle (Tamara White), (R Kathryn Turley-Sonnne)

The show is titled, "Emergence". It will be the most intentional storytelling I have ever put forward. The kind of work that reflects everything I have survived, everything I am learning, and everything I am becoming. And with barely any time to breathe I will head back to Los Angeles for a June showcase. Details to come soon, but I already know this next chapter will demand a new level of me.

If 2025 was about building relationships and finding my place, then 2026 is about stepping into it fully. Brush in hand. Heart wide open. Ready to EMERGE.