Derrick Adams
MIRRORING IDEALISM, 2021
Wall relief of UV curable pigment on Mirror Dibond
28 1/4 x 53 1/2 x 3 in
71.8 x 135.9 x 7.6 cm
Edition of 40
Derrick Adams is not just a fine artist - he is also a great teacher. He is a tenured assistant professor in the School of Visual, Media and Performing Arts at Brooklyn College, and holds classes in schools around the city. He also lets his paintings and artwork serve as lessons for those who interact with them. Adams was honored at the 2024 American Federation of Arts Leadership Award for his outstanding contributions to the art community.
Adams, who was born and raised in Baltimore, currently has an installation on view at the Baltimore Museum of Art, that encourages children and adults to interact with the features of the exhibit and with one another. Dewdrop Inn, which will be available through Fall 2026, features a colorful and welcoming environment, with a match-up card game, designed by Adams, that encourages young museumgoers to interact with one another and learn about the museum’s collection of African American art.
One of the ways in which Adams teaches is to encourage viewers of his artwork to explore the aspects of each work for themselves and create their own narrative.
Derrick Adams’ work will be part of an exhibit at the Jeffrey Deitch Gallery in New York.Carnival was inspired by themes of the carnival and the circus, where social norms, that might not be acceptable in more mundane environments, are welcomed in the provocative world of the carnival.
Also included in the show will be work by Kenny Scharf, Red Grooms, KAWS and other contemporary artists whose works have a playful essence, often with somber overtones.
Kenny Scharf is preparing for an upcoming retrospective, at the end of June, at the Museum of Modern Art in Shanghai.
In a discussion in Interview, Scharf said that he witnessed the recent LA fires from his home in Culver City, but was fortunate not to have lost his home or any of his work. He’s collaborating with Equinox to design clothing, with all of the proceeds going to the L.A. Fire Department.
KAWS works are currently on view at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. KAWS: Family will be on view through July 28, 2025.
Please contact us if you would like more information about the works of Derrick Adams. Kenny Scharf, KAWS or any of the other fine artists whose works are available at VFA.
References:
Leah Dolan. In Derrick Adams’ paintings, Black history collides joyfully with the present. CNN/Style. February 19, 2025.
Shai Baitel. Kenny Scharf on Trash, Artificial Intelligence, and the Golden Days of New York. Interview Magazine. February 18, 2025.
