Rashid Johnson’s practice examines themes of art history, individual and shared cultural identities, personal narratives, literature, philosophy, materiality, and critical history. Working across a wide range of media–including sculpture, painting, drawing, filmmaking, and installation–Johnson maintains a complex multidisciplinary practice that incorporates diverse materials, rich with symbolism and personal history. Johnson’s work often bears close ties to his childhood, and frequently draws on the influence of collective aspects of African American intellectual history and cultural identity. In 2018, Johnson made his performance debut, choreographing his inaugural piece, The Hikers , which incorporated elements of ballet and modern movement fixed around his sculptures.

Johnson has noted that The Crisis makes reference with its title to Harold Cruse’s 1967 study, The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual , an influential volume from the Civil Rights movement, while making a parallel reference to current events, and the ongoing social, political, and environmental crises that must be navigated as part of daily life in the United States.

Exhibitions of Johnson's work have been held at the Aspen Art Museum, Aspen; the Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee; and the Museum of Modern Art, New York, among others.