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a painting by Robin F. Williams of a nude person in bed scrolling on their phone with abstract, colorful loops enveloping the device
“Infinite Scroll” (2026), acrylic and oil on canvas, 42 x 44 inches. All photos by Ian Edquist, courtesy of Robin F. Williams and P·P·O·W, shared with permission

Robin F. Williams Suspends the Allure and Horror of Technology in an Endless Loop

A nude figure with frazzled hair lies in bed, the sickly colored linens draped across their upper body. Fingertips glowing red as if inflamed, the character grasps a navy phone and stares catatonically at the screen. A vibrant infinity symbol is superimposed on the scene, emerging as endless loops of energy and mesmerization from the device.

The all-too-relatable portrait is part of a suite of new works by Robin F. Williams capturing the omnipotent techno-dystopia we’re collectively barreling toward. Extrapolating on the ways humanity and machines merge, the Brooklyn-based artist presents a mystical vision of another world infused with pop culture and art history.

a painting by Robin F. Williams of a mechanical mermaid emerging from the water on a rock
“Merminator” (2026), oil on linen, 60 x 40 inches

“The Merminator,” for example, combines two characters of the ’80s—a cyborg assassin and a Disney princess—to form a metallic bot perched on a stone as it, like Ariel, peers toward a world it presumably longs to be part of and yet won’t be accepted in.

There’s also “I Am Not a Robot,” a symmetric piece that takes cues in composition and color palette from the spiritualist abstractions of Hilma af Klint. The painting also draws from Boticelli’s “Madonna of the Pomegranate,” which presents the titular fruit as a visual metaphor for the human heart. In Williams’ iteration, though, the subject is the phone, radiating outward in place of the life-giving source.

Under the fitting title Act Natural, the body of work plunges into the uncanny without settling into the strange state of things. The too-sleek, frictionless world the artist portrays exudes the allure of technology alongside the immense horror it elicits.

P·P·O·W presents Act Natural as a pop-up at Frieze’s No. 9 Cork Street in London, where it’s on view through October 24. Explore more of Williams’ work on Instagram.

a painting by Robin F. Williams of a trio of blue figures huddled together to drink from a glass
“Holy Thirst Trap” (2026), oil on linen, 42 x 30 inches
a portrait by Robin F Williams of an angelic figure scrolling on a phone
“I Am Not a Robot” (2026), acrylic and oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches
a painting by Robin F. Williams of a nude figure on a beach posing by kneeling with an arched back. the palette is red and purple
“Language Model” (2026), oil on canvas, 60 x 54 inches
a painting by Robin F. Williams of two nude overlapping figures in a natural setting
“Spooky Action at a Distance” (2026), acrylic and oil on canvas, 60 x 44 inches
a detail of a painting by Robin F. Williams of a nude person in bed scrolling on their phone with abstract, colorful loops enveloping the device
Detail of “Infinite Scroll” (2026)

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