About Christopher
Baltimore City

Born in Detroit, Christopher Batten began his undergraduate training at the Columbus College of Art and Design, and later completed his training at the College for Creative Studies where he earned a BFA in Illustration in 2006. Batten is a 2017 graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art’s LeRoy E. Hoffberger School of Painting MFA program, where he received a Hoffberger Merit Scholarship, the Dr. Leslie King Hammond Graduate Award, and two AIGA Worldstudio Scholarships. While… more
Jump to a project:
No Play Fighting
I believe that everyone must fight to make an impact on the world in the time they have been allotted on this earth- whether our actions are positive or negative is a matter of choice. We are all combatants who fight for/against something. The most critical of these battles is the one that takes place inside us daily when we reflect on how our experiences have affected us throughout our lives. The works in this series encourage us to ask ourselves this question: what are you fighting for?
The Gold Rush
Statistics prove that in areas where people are economically deprived, high crime rates persist. Considering that the majority of these areas are populated mostly by African Americans, Latinos, and poor Whites (un-coincidentally), these demographics tend to have the highest propensity toward serving time in prison. Upon the election of President Trump, purchase of stocks in corporations that function in the private prison sector skyrocketed. His promise to implement a national stop- -frisk campaign to curb crime in American inner cities signals likely profits for the private prison industry, as arrests and convictions (whether false or not) are thus likely to increase. Profitability is even more likely as the Trump administration has already dissolved the policies President Obama put in place to phase out the use of private prisons. The spike in purchases of stock brings to mind the California Gold Rush that began in the middle of the 19th century. Major cities will become the mines, with "criminals" being the key to striking it rich.
-
The Gold Rush (Installation view #1)This installation features a series of portraits of private prison industry execs (each piece titled, "Thugs") and a supporting ground installation (titled Bullion/Cell) made of plastic gold bar party decorations. The center of the ground installation measured (6ft x 8ft (the average size of a prison cell)) and was the only place where viewers were surrounded by all of the portraits.
-
The Gold Rush (Installation view #2)This installation features a series of portraits of private prison industry execs (each piece titled, "Thugs") and a supporting ground installation (titled Bullion/Cell) made of plastic gold bar party decorations. The center of the ground installation measured (6ft x 8ft (the average size of a prison cell)) and was the only place where viewers were surrounded by all of the portraits.
-
The Gold Rush (Installation view #3)This installation features a series of portraits of private prison industry execs (each piece titled, "Thugs") and a supporting ground installation (titled Bullion/Cell) made of plastic gold bar party decorations. The center of the ground installation measured (6ft x 8ft (the average size of a prison cell)) and was the only place where viewers were surrounded by all of the portraits.
Heated
Violence is an ugly aspect of the human experience, but for the protection of oneself, it is sometimes a necessary evil. The paintings in this series are fueled by memories of fights I've had during my now, 30 years of study as a martial artist.
-
Heated 2Acrylic, Ink, and Aerosol on Paper/ 60in x 48in/ 2016...This is the second painting (fueled by my experiences as a martial artist) that explores (and conveys) the chaos of fighting and violence. With America being so divided, I foresee violence escalating at an alarming rate. Violence is an ugly aspect of the human experience, but for the protection of oneself, it is sometimes a necessary evil. The choice to fight (risking harm to another person) will be one that a lot of us will have to confront if the nation's current climate persist.
-
HeatedAcrylic, Ink, and Aerosol on Paper/ 48in x 48in/ 2016...This is the first painting (fueled by my experiences as a martial artist) that explores the chaos of fighting and violence. With America being so divided, I foresee violence escalating at an alarming rate. Violence is an ugly aspect of the human experience, but for the protection of oneself, it is sometimes a necessary evil. The choice to fight (risking harm to another person) will be one that a lot of us will have to confront if the nation's current climate persist.
The Quandary and related works
A series of paintings that examine the awkward and uncomfortable role racism plays in African American life. Moreover, later paintings offer commentary on notions of hope and resilience.
-
EmbracingEmbracing/ Acrylic, Aerosol, Steel-Pigmented Paint, and Rust Accelerant on Canvas/ 40in x 30in/ 2022...this self-portrait chronicles my sentiments as I reached my 40th birthday. I have become more conscious of my mortality and have accepted the fact that I cannot predict what happens from here. It is up to me to adapt to the changes my body and psyche will undergo, as I continue to age.
-
Pomp and CircumstanceOil and Aerosol on Canvas/ 72in x 48in/ 2020...This is the 3rd in a series of paintings that works to incorporate the spiritual connotations of bugs/insects. With my late grandfather's 1931 graduation photo being the central reference, the painting works to encourage the value of persistence through the pesky obstacles life throws us from time to time.
-
The QuandaryOil on Canvas/ 40in x 40in/ 2015...This is the first in a series of paintings that examine the awkward and uncomfortable role racism plays in African American life. I used my niece as a subject to convey how African American children are not even exempt from the unfair treatment that is the result of racism.
-
The Quandary 2Oil on Linen/ 48in x 36in/ 2015...This is the second in a series of paintings that examine the awkward and uncomfortable role racism plays in African American life. This piece features my 25 yr old brother. Attempts to understand the reasons behind racial discrimination often become draining and consuming. The qualities of the awkward box begin to seep into my brother, as a way of examining the aforementioned phenomenon.
-
The Quandary 3Oil on Canvas/ 48in x 36in/ 2015...This is the third in a series of paintings that examine the awkward and uncomfortable role racism plays in African American life. This painting of my teenage nephew examines the awareness of racism being a fact of African American life that is adopted around the time we enter our teens.
Addressing Profiling
These paintings address profiling and the negative affects of having those types of experiences.
-
The DescriptionOil on Canvas/ 18in x 14in/ 2016...This portrait of my brother (who is college educated and has no criminal record) was my portrayal of what some police officers may imagine "the description" to be. Every time I've been stopped and frisked, "fitting the description" has always been their reasoning for the the stop. The glossy passages of paint work to draw attention to the sitter's eyes. Also, the dark green of my brother's shirt and durag against the red background are meant to convey the tension of encounters between police and African American males.
-
...Than To Repair...Oil on Canvas/ 56in x 38in/ 2016...This painting was inspired by a quoute attributed to Frederick Douglass ("It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men"). This painting was my response to the struggles I sometimes have navigating life as an African American male due to the environmental factors of my past (i.e. economic deprivation and being stereotyped).
Urban Resilience Portraits
-
Iron and SilkCharcoal, Ink, White Gold, and Silver Leaf on Paper/ 30in x 22in/ 2014...This drawing of a fellow artist (who is a metalsmith) works to convey the spiritual concept of duality. By juxtaposing her very soft, feminine appearance with an impression of her geometric metal assemblages, I want to convey a sense of the masculine and feminine forces that exist in us all.