Private Collection, London

Responding to an expansive range of social, historic, and cultural sources, Derrick Adams revels in the dialogue around contemporary Bla🎀ck life and culture through depictions of normalcy and perseverance. Adams skilfully combines representational imagery with Cubist geometry, crafting multifaceted figures and faces that delve into the depth and complexity of the Black experience.  

This present lot, from his Game Changing series, uses a traditional and bold palette of reds, whites, blues, blacks, and golds to depict th🦹e royal suite of playing cards. By depicting exclusively Black figures, Derrick Adams challenges the pervasive dominance of Caucasian representations in everyday objects, such as playing cards and what these exclusionary practices signifies when such images are perceived as "normal," highlighting the importance of considering alternative representations. 

Born in Baltimore in 1970, Adams currently resides and works in New York City. He earned his BFA from Pratt University in 1996 and completed his MFA at Columbia University in 2003. Throughout his career, Adams has held various teaching roles and currently serves as a tenured assistant professor in the School of Visual, Media, and Performing Arts at CUNY ꦓBrooklyn College.