Derrick Adams (b. 1970, Baltimore, MD) is a multidisciplinary artist whose expansive practice encompasses painting, sculpture, collage, video, and sound installations. His work engages with the intersection of black identity, cultural history, and personal expression, focusing on themes of self-image, popular culture, and the political dimensions of leisure and rest. Drawing on his experiences growing up in Baltimore and his academic training—earning a BFA from Pratt Institute in 1996 and an MFA from Columbia University in 2003—Adams explores how the black experience is represented and embodied in both historical and contemporary contexts.
Central to Adams' work is the exploration of how black individuals navigate their public and private lives, with a particular focus on the radical act of claiming space for relaxation and joy. In series such as Floaters (2016–20), he depicts black figures at leisure on inflatables, challenging traditional notions of blackness and agency. This idea of leisure as a political act is also explored in works like Deconstruction Worker and Beauty World. Adams's Motion Picture Paintings (2020–22) combine cinematic references and evocative text to examine the ways in which Black culture is both lived and imagined through popular media.
Adams’s artistic approach is rooted in Deconstructivist principles, embracing fragmentation and the manipulation of form. His practice is marked by the layering and hybridizing of materials and sensory experiences, aligning him with an esteemed lineage of artists such as Hannah Höch, Romare Bearden, and William H. Johnson. His work serves as a metaphor for the construction of identity itself—an ongoing, dynamic process that reflects both personal and collective histories.
Beyond his studio practice, Adams is deeply committed to education and cultural advocacy. He currently serves as a tenured assistant professor at CUNY Brooklyn College and holds an honorary doctorate from the Maryland Institute College of Art. In 2022, he founded Charm City Cultural Cultivation, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting underserved communities in Baltimore. Its initiatives include The Last Resort Artist Retreat, The Black Baltimore Digital Database, and Zora’s Den, an online and in-person space for black women writers.
Adams has exhibited widely, with solo shows at institutions such as the Cleveland Museum of Art (2022), the Museum of Arts and Design, New York (2018), and The Momentary, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (2021). His public art commissions include works for MTA Arts & Design, the National Mall through Monument Lab, and Art at Amtrak at NYC Penn Station. His art is represented in major collections, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Whitney Museum of American Art, and The Studio Museum in Harlem. Through his diverse practice, Adams continues to expand the conversation around black life, cultural resilience, and the role of art in shaping both identity and society.