Derrick Adams’ Style Variation 3 (Loose Wave) (2022) continues the artist’s eloquent investigation into the intersections of self-presentation, cultural identity, and personal empowerment. The portrait, part of his acclaimed Style Variations series, depicts a stylized bust of a woman with long, voluminous hair cascading in soft waves—an emblem of grace, confidence, and beauty. Rendered in Adams’ geometric abstraction, the work transforms a familiar salon motif into a monument of self-possession and quiet power.

Composed of interlocking planes in rich shades of umber, rose, sienna, and plum, Adams’ figure embodies both sculptural solidity and emotional warmth. The interplay of these tonal fragments—his signature visual language—references Cubism, African sculpture, and modernist design, yet feels deeply contemporary. Her hair, composed of deep blacks and cool grays, flows outward like a visual rhythm, its sweeping form creating movement against the otherwise still, white backdrop. The composition balances elegance and structure, celebrating the artistry inherent in personal style.

The “loose wave” hairstyle, known for its soft texture and versatility, becomes here a symbol of freedom and natural poise. Adams elevates this look—so often coded within the everyday spaces of salons and barbershops—into the realm of fine art, affirming that the aesthetics of Black beauty are worthy of the same reverence historically reserved for classical portraiture. The subject’s slightly parted lips, rendered in muted pink, and her long lashes lend a subtle intimacy to the composition, suggesting both individuality and self-awareness.

Adams’ Style Variations series centers around the idea of the salon bust—the mannequin head used to display hairstyles, wigs, and beauty trends. Through this lens, he reflects on how identity is constructed, both literally and metaphorically, through acts of adornment and presentation. By reimagining these forms in his unique abstract style, Adams reclaims them as icons of cultural expression, placing them within an art-historical lineage that spans from African mask-making to modern portraiture. Each variation in the series celebrates diversity within unity—the infinite ways beauty manifests across form, texture, and self-definition.

In Style Variation 3 (Loose Wave), Adams also underscores the duality of individuality and archetype. The subject exists somewhere between mannequin and muse, between representation and abstraction. She embodies not one woman, but many—a reflection of how beauty culture allows for reinvention, transformation, and pride. Adams’ clean geometry and restrained palette lend a timeless quality, while the confident gaze and dynamic hair design ground the work in contemporary Black experience.

Beyond aesthetics, Adams’ project is deeply social. His work often explores leisure, style, and self-care as forms of empowerment—spaces where Black people can express joy and autonomy outside narratives of struggle. In this sense, Style Variation 3 (Loose Wave) is both portrait and philosophy: a statement that everyday acts of care and creativity are deeply political, asserting presence in a world that too often overlooks or stereotypes it.

Ultimately, Derrick Adams transforms simplicity into celebration. Style Variation 3 (Loose Wave) is not merely a study of hair or form—it’s a meditation on confidence, identity, and cultural continuity. Through crisp geometry and understated sensuality, Adams honors the ritual of styling as a sculptural, almost sacred act, reaffirming that beauty itself can be a language of power, heritage, and self-love.

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