Derrick Adams’ Style Variation 5 (Fringe) (2022) is a luminous synthesis of geometry, color, and cultural narrative—a portrait that celebrates the power of self-styling as an act of identity and self-possession. Executed as a screen print with acrylic gloss, the work shimmers with material richness, transforming a stylized salon bust into an emblem of individuality and modern elegance. It belongs to Adams’ Style Variations series, a body of work that reimagines the mannequin head—a familiar form from Black hair salons—as a symbol of creativity, beauty, and cultural affirmation.

At the center of the composition, a figure emerges in faceted planes of warm ochre, caramel, and gold, her face meticulously constructed from intersecting geometric fragments. The glossy surface of the screen print adds depth and dimensionality, emphasizing the precision of Adams’ design and the sculptural presence of his subject. Her hairstyle—a bold, symmetrical bob with a fringe—dominates the composition, rendered in deep blacks and cool grays that radiate like the petals of a flower or the contours of an architectural dome. The hairstyle’s exaggerated volume transforms it into a structure of its own—a crown of form and symmetry that communicates confidence and control.

The “fringe” hairstyle, long associated with fashion-forward sophistication, becomes in Adams’ hands an emblem of individuality. It suggests both discipline and flair, simplicity and strength. Within the history of Black hair culture, such styles are not merely aesthetic choices—they are cultural statements, markers of identity, pride, and self-determination. By isolating and monumentalizing the form, Adams invites viewers to consider the artistry behind personal presentation as a reflection of broader cultural creativity.

Adams’ palette here is deliberately restrained yet radiant. The ochres and ambers of the skin tones are balanced against the deep matte blacks of the hair, while touches of soft gray and blush pink introduce harmony and depth. His geometric abstraction recalls the fractured planes of Cubism but is infused with warmth and humanity, moving beyond formal experimentation to convey personality and presence. The glossy sheen of the acrylic layer enhances this dialogue between material and metaphor, suggesting the polish of salon perfection and the reflective quality of self-awareness.

The Style Variations series, from which this work originates, examines beauty culture as both intimate ritual and collective art form. By reinterpreting the training mannequins found in salons as icons of self-expression, Adams bridges the worlds of high art and everyday creativity. Each portrait in the series is both specific and archetypal—a celebration of the endless ways in which style becomes a language of identity.

In Style Variation 5 (Fringe), the clean precision of Adams’ design conceals a deeply emotional core. The figure’s wide eyes, elongated neck, and centered symmetry evoke quiet confidence and poise. Her gaze—calm yet direct—suggests the inner strength that comes from knowing oneself.

Across his practice, Derrick Adams uses abstraction not to obscure identity but to enrich it, revealing the layers that make up the human experience. In this work, beauty is more than surface—it is structure, craft, and legacy. The acrylic gloss catches the light like a mirror, reminding us that style, for Adams, is reflection in both the literal and metaphoric sense.

Ultimately, Style Variation 5 (Fringe) is a portrait of transformation—where art, design, and culture converge. With crisp geometry, radiant color, and polished luminosity, Adams turns a simple hairstyle into a statement of power, pride, and presence, reaffirming his place as one of contemporary art’s leading voices celebrating the complexity and joy of Black life.