Derrick Adams

Across Derrick Adams’ art there is a profound sense of joyful celebration as the multi-disciplinary artist tells vibrant stories that explore Black identity, culture and history. Working across paintings, sculpture, collage and performance, his colorful snapshots and vignettes are very much of our contemporary world yet rooted in a deep sense of tradition. Deconstruction, by default, leads to reconstruction and Adams' work reconstructs and alternate experience through the deconstruction of prevailing social codes and narratives. 

Derrick Adams’ prints and paintings are an amalgamation of style reflecting his nuanced and post-modern approach to the themes that he explores. Combining  pop culture, personal narratives and social commentaries Adam creates compelling scenes that are ornate in their use of color and visually arresting in the composition. 

Throughout his works Adams’ narratives are told through his vibrant use of color, geometric shapes, and mixed-media elements which blend together as the artist explores the way mass media affects identity, particularly in the context of African Americans in contemporary culture.

Derrick Adams’ art tells of hope and he often uses empowering motives including uplifting portraits of Black men, women and children where he re-imagines and address the status quo of society offering an inclusive new reality. Influenced by the everyday, Adams also draws from the symbols of our 21st life in all their recognizable pop glory including rubber ducks, swimming pool inflatables and beaming bright, saturated television sets - a critical approach to media representation is a recurring theme in his work.