TAURUS BURNS
ZEBRA INTELLIGENCE
Opening Reception:
Friday, May 15th | 6 - 9 PM
Exhibition on view May 15 - June 13, 2026
My work explores how racial hierarchy and binary thinking shape identity and mental health.
Working in black and white, I use allegorical imagery to confront colorblindness and the expectation that people of color must continually justify their value in a society that centers whiteness. Panthers and zebra striping recur as symbols of vigilance, protection, and early labeling, drawn from both personal history and collective struggle.
These paintings reflect a lifelong and ongoing experience, focusing on moments of solitude and emotional weight shaped by systems that do not easily loosen their hold.
TAURUS BURNS
About Exhibitions Available Work Press
Photo: CJ Benninger
Taurus Burns is a Detroit-based figurative artist whose work explores themes of race, identity and social history. Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1974, his experiences growing up across the United States and Germany shaped an early awareness of cultural tension and belonging. He studied under renowned artist Jon Onye Lockard before moving to Detroit to earn a BFA with High Honors from the College for Creative Studies in 2002. Influenced by artists Kerry James Marshall, Bob Thompson and Philip Guston, Burns creates emotionally charged works that explore memory, symbolism, and the complexities of interracial experience in America.
In the Journal
Images from Burns’ 2023 Solo Exhibition Created Equal
TAURUS BURNS
Oil on canvas
75 × 100 inches