Chris Watts creates abstract paintings and mixed-media works that interrogate narratives about Black culture, absence, and presence. Watts often paints on layers of diaphanous fabrics, creating works that resemble three-dimensional views through windows. Many of his pieces appropriate and subvert imagery from existing sources: In one series of paintings, Watts erases the figures from footage of police brutality. The artist lists influences such as Sam Gilliam, David Hammons, Steve McQueen, and Sigmar Polke. A Yale MFA graduate, Watts has participated in group shows at Atlantic Center for the Arts (2014), the Abrons Arts Center (2018), and Knockdown Center (2018).