Derrick Adams’ This Could All Be Yours (2020) is a vivid, layered commentary on aspiration, media, and the performative spectacle of the American dream. Rendered in Adams’ hallmark collage-like geometry and electrifying color palette, the work situates two Black figures within the frame of a retro television set—both participants and symbols of a culture defined by visibility, consumerism, and projection. Through the lens of Pop aesthetics and cultural critique, Adams fuses humor, nostalgia, and sharp social awareness into a single, exuberant image.

The two central figures, whose faces are divided into angular planes of contrasting tones, seem animated mid-speech, as if hosting a lively game show or televised moment of revelation. Behind them, the background bursts with the repeated number “100,” stylized in multicolored patterns that recall emojis, neon signage, and Pop Art’s repetitive motifs. This visual saturation alludes to both excitement and excess—an emblem of achievement, fame, and quantifiable success in a world obsessed with validation.

The entire scene unfolds inside an old-fashioned wooden TV set, complete with oversized dials and a silver screen border. Adams’ decision to frame the composition this way is crucial: he reminds viewers that the spectacle of representation—particularly of Black life—has long been mediated through the lens of entertainment and commodified imagery. By reclaiming that screen, Adams transforms the medium itself into a platform of agency. The figures are no longer caricatures or side characters—they are front and center, self-possessed and dynamic.

At its core, This Could All Be Yours critiques the seductive promise of success that mass media perpetuates. The title suggests both possibility and irony: the gleaming world on screen—of wealth, fame, or recognition—“could” belong to anyone, yet remains an illusion shaped by systemic structures. Adams invites us to question who controls those narratives, who gets to “own” them, and how desire itself becomes a form of performance.

Adams’ broader practice is deeply rooted in reimagining how Black identity is seen and celebrated within contemporary visual culture. Drawing inspiration from Cubism, collage, and Pop Art, he reconstructs the human form using bold, fractured planes that mirror the multifaceted nature of modern identity. Like artists before him—Romare Bearden, Faith Ringgold, and Barkley Hendricks—Adams positions the Black figure within everyday contexts that affirm beauty, joy, and power, rather than trauma or marginalization.

In This Could All Be Yours, he merges this philosophy with a critique of spectacle itself. The figures exude charisma and individuality through their patterned clothing—one in a polka-dot jacket, the other in textured blue—each pattern reflecting Adams’ interest in surface design, rhythm, and material culture. Yet beyond their visual energy, there is an undercurrent of reflection: what does it mean to be seen? What does it mean to perform success?

By transforming the television screen—a historic site of distortion and stereotype—into a vibrant field of self-defined imagery, Adams reclaims the gaze. This Could All Be Yours becomes a statement of empowerment and irony, embodying the artist’s ongoing mission to present Black life as multifaceted, aspirational, and gloriously alive.