Over the past quarter-century, artist and Brooklyn College Associate Professor Derrick Adams has developed a unique ability to synthesize and celebrate Black American life and culture through his beloved artworks. Best known for his collage-inspired paintings of people constructed out of geometric blocks of color and engaged in leisure activities, Adams brings the everyday experience of Black Americans to the forefront, capturing moments of joy, resilience, and celebration. To honor the dynamic evolution of his artistic vision and mission, Derrick Adams, a self-titled monograph, will be published on October 22. Featuring 150 of his most significant works to date alongside insightful scholarly essays, this landmark volume affirms Adams’ place as one of the most influential American artists of our time. Published by Monacelli, the book organizes his artwork into three sections named for themes that recur throughout his practice: “Channeling,” “Signaling,” and “Mirroring.” In “Channeling,” readers will see works that investigate ideas surrounding the ubiquity of television and the emotions that media representation can conjure in us. The works in “Signaling” explore the depth of the visual language Adams has created, in which visual clues, cultural motifs, and text construct what he calls “seriocomic imagery.” Derrick Adams’ self-titled book will be out October 22. In “Mirroring,” readers will experience images born of Adams’ desire to see Black American experiences mirrored in art, in part rectifying the dearth of such imagery in art history. At its core, Adams’ project is a reinvigoration of the Black figure in art, an intention seen throughout the works in the book. Some interview highlights include: An introduction elucidating the book’s three themes, written by curator and Adams’ studio manager, Alyssa Alexander. An in-depth conversation between Adams and art-world veteran Sandra Jackson-Dumont explores Adams’ beginnings as a gallerist in New York, tracing his many roles as arts educator, community builder, and studio artist. ICA Philadelphia curator Hallie Ringle writes about the formal properties of Adams’ work and how they both strengthen and inform the narrative qualities of his art. Pulitzer Prize–winning writer and New York Times columnist Salamishah Tillet explores the cultural contexts of Adams’ work, speaking to the powerful ways he images Blackness. And curator Dexter Wimberly writes about Adams’ multidisciplinary practice, illuminating how his exhibitions, performances, and interactive installations are inextricably linked to his overall artistic vision. Derrick Adams releases ahead of a major midcareer survey of Adams’ work, “View Master,” opening at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston in April 2026.
