What can I reveal that has not been shown? Black people — not entertaining, just being, living. Letting people deal with that as reality.

(Derrick Adams)

This first mid-career survey of the prolific New York–based artist Derrick Adams (b. 1970 in Baltimore) offers a sweeping view of his multidisciplinary practice over the past twenty years. Bringing together a wide range of works, the exhibition highlights the evolution of his artistic language and the consistency of his engagement with themes surrounding identity, representation, and cultural expression.

Adams celebrates contemporary Black life and culture through a distinct representational approach. He often combines planar shapes, bold patterns, and vivid color to construct multifaceted figures, creating compositions that are both visually dynamic and conceptually layered. Within these works, he foregrounds scenes of leisure, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness, challenging historical narratives that have often excluded or misrepresented Black experiences.

Across painting, sculpture, collage, performance, video, and public projects, Adams elevates the beauty and significance of everyday life. His work transforms ordinary moments into a powerful visual iconography, one that resonates with the richness, complexity, and vibrancy of Black culture today, while inviting viewers to reconsider how joy, rest, and self-expression are represented in contemporary art.