Derrick Adams goes Live and in Colors
Derrick and I in his Brooklyn Studio. All pictures by Peter Koloff.
Larger-than-life, exaggerated, over-the-top and black stereotypes are some of the words that Derrick Adams uses to describe his most recent series "Live and In Color" the first part of which was comprised of colorful and layered collages and sculptures exhibited last fall in a solo show at the Jack Tilton Gallery in New York City.
And continuing what he so successfully started and breathed life into, he gave me a preview of what will be shown at The Armory Show with Jack Tilton (the two pieces above) and also at the ADAA Fair with Rhona Hoffman both of which are set to open this week.
A fearless artist who has explored so much on a multimedia spectrum, Derrick has created drawings, paintings and sculptures and also ingeniously mixed performance art and music. It's not surprising then, that his collages are so compelling, easy to live with, fun and yet so deep.
We spent a lot of time talking about black people in media; how shock value is sometimes over utilized and why excesses and exaggerations have shaped years of TV appearances, sitcoms and music videos in ways that seem almost caricaturesque. The well-accomplished angularity and geometry, the dialed-up colors, the subjects and the choice of images in Derrick's collages draw people in and captures the attention of the viewers in a rather expedient manner.
Derrick is so cool and his takes on life are so funny, I had a hard time leaving his studio. He is truly a one-of-a-kind artist and I can foresee a terrific future based on his solid career and the building blocks that he has created for himself. I also asked him to keep delighting our eyes and engaging our souls with this series for a bit longer. I love his other work, but these TV sets are so fantastic, I’d be sad to know I cannot keep enjoying them for longer. If he listens to my requests or not, remains to be seen.