Gee Horton: Expanding Portraiture into Public Space

From graphite portraits to large-scale murals, Gee Horton brings empathy, identity, and public dialogue to the forefront of contemporary art.

Gee Horton 

Cincinnati-based artist Gee Horton is known for his highly detailed graphite drawings and murals that explore identity, race, and belonging. His work began in the studio with quiet, introspective portraits—images that examine how Black men are seen and how they see themselves. Over the past few years, his practice has moved from intimate drawings to large-scale public work, where accessibility and collective experience have become central to his approach.

Horton’s early Coming of Age series introduced a young Black male subject who serves as both a self-portrait and a stand-in for a broader community. The works are meditations on visibility and vulnerability, drawn with the precision of observation and care. Before becoming a full-time artist, Horton worked as a social worker, and that background continues to shape his process. His portraits are grounded in empathy, using representation as a way to build connection and trust.

Gee Horton's Coming of Age at BLINK Cincinnati 2024

In 2020, Horton was part of the team of artists who created Cincinnati’s “Black Lives Matter!” street mural, designing the L in the collaborative piece. The experience marked a shift toward public practice, showing him how art can function at scale and within shared civic space. That move continued with his participation in BLINK Cincinnati 2024, a citywide light and art festival that coincided with the CODAworx Summit. His piece You Got Me, created with Chroma Projects and Greg D’Amico, projected luminous portraits across downtown facades—transforming his drawing-based language into an immersive public work. Centered on love, equality, and the complexity of Black identity, the installation connected personal storytelling with the collective pulse of the city.

At CODAsummit 2025 in Washington, D.C., Horton delivered an electrifying Creative Revolutionaries keynote titled “What Happens on Earth Stays on Earth.” Known for his striking photorealistic murals, Horton spoke about memory, identity, and the responsibility of the artist to witness and reflect the world around them. His talk drew a standing ovation—a moment that captured the emotional center of the Summit and reinforced the role of art as both personal record and public mirror.

Across his work, Horton continues to examine the boundaries between private reflection and public visibility. His recent projects move fluidly between paper, wall, and light, combining the intimacy of portraiture with the reach of public art. Whether through graphite, projection, or architectural scale, his focus remains consistent: to create spaces for empathy, representation, and shared human experience.

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