When it comes to inspiration, all it takes for multidisciplinary artist Derrick Adams is a stroll down the neighborhood. Born in Baltimore, and now based in Brooklyn, Adams’ work focuses on black subjects, exploring how African American experiences intersect with art history, American iconography, and consumerism.
“Usually, I’m attracted to things that are in my daily space or in my neighborhood,” he relayed in an interview with artnet. “Things I see when I’m walking around. I pay attention to everything, from store windows to people in cafes talking, to people on the corner communicating. I like to think about the surroundings as source materials.”
He then translates his cultural impressions into colorful artworks, with mediums of choice spanning from painting, collage, and sculptures, to performances and video and sound installations. According to his bio, Adams practice is rooted in deconstructivist philosophies related to the fragmentation and manipulation of structure and surface, and the marriage of complex and improbable forms.
“When I’m around people, I’m constantly looking at the aesthetics of how they wear their hair, how they communicate with each other,” he notes. “I believe that, as black people, there are things we do, things that are common practice, that are also very complex and interesting forms of culture and cultural production.”
Take a look at some of his layered art pieces in the gallery below, and follow his Instagram for more.
