The Visual Language of the Negro Problem.

During the Civil War, thousands of white northern soldiers encountered thousands of self-emancipated fugitive slaves, who fled bondage and entered Union camps. In this context, black people, particularly black men, were pictured in various subordinating poses, including scenes of black subjects sitting before, kneeling beneath, and serving white soldiers. This visual vocabulary, which speaks of power and superiority through compositions such as hierarchy, dress, text, and poses, is reclaimed in The Visual Language of the Negro Problem.

In the series The Visual Language of the Negro Problem, Robin critiques black identity representation. The artist combines elements of the language of photography by creating compositions of the subjugated figures. Rendered by these visual forms with opacity, white overlays, and tension within the composition, each subject becomes the center of attention, free to show each black body's intricate details.