Arstanda Billy White

Arstanda Billy White (b.1962) is a natural storyteller. He invites the heroes and icons of his youth into his paintings and ceramic sculptures, populating them with the likes of Elvis, Joe DiMaggio, Redd Foxx, Van Gogh and Eddie Murphy alongside family members, NIAD artists and staff, and himself.  

White’s works are direct and function as intimate, unmediated expressions of what and how he perceives the world. Long-forgotten figures from Black popular culture, hip hop artists, artworld celebrities and local Richmond characters are all given equal standing in White’s pantheon. A deeply social artist, White’s desire to establish connection and offer support to his community is embedded in the way he makes art: as an ongoing conversation and a mutual sharing of stories with his subjects. Whether those subjects are living or deceased is of no concern.

White is represented exclusively by SHRINE Gallery and has had three solo exhibitions at both their New York and Los Angeles spaces. He lives and works in Richmond, California, and has made art at NIAD since 1994.