Crossing the threshold of the Gagosian Gallery on Davies Street in London, one is immersed in an explosion of warm colors and enveloping textures that evoke the pop universe. But beyond the brilliance of the surfaces lies a deeper world: with Situation Comedy, his new solo exhibition, Derrick Adams takes us on a journey through an imagined Black America, where everyday life intertwines with dreams, memories and historical references. The result is an aesthetic synthesis that recalls the experiments of Robert Rauschenberg and the critical irony of Andy Warhol while maintaining an identity deeply rooted in African American culture.
Derrick Adams, “Situation Comedy”, 2025, installation view, artwork © Derrick Adams Studio. photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd, courtesy Gagosian
Born in Baltimore in 1970 and based in New York, Derrick Adams is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans painting, sculpture, performance and video, always maintaining a strong connection to storytelling and cultural narratives. His work examines how ideals, aspirations and pop culture icons shape self-image – an inquiry that aligns with a longstanding artistic tradition of reflecting society. While his paintings echo the legacy of Jacob Lawrence, they also carry a pressing engagement with the present, incorporating references to contemporary fashion and the symbols of global consumerism. In Situation Comedy, Adams harnesses the evocative power of collage, combining fabrics and acrylic to construct images reminiscent of sitcom or film fragments, creating a narrative play suspended between irony and social critique. It is impossible not to feel a sense of nostalgia in front of these works, which transport us back to those vibrant and captivating drawings that decorated chocolate packaging, candy bags or cereal boxes – pop illustrations that promised a world full of color and joy. Adams takes these elements and transforms them, weaving nostalgia with a critical investigation of the present, giving them new complexity and depth.
Derrick Adams, “Only Happy Thoughts”, 2024, acrylic and fabric collage on wood panel, in artist’s frame
60 3/8 x 60 3/8 x 2 1/2 inches (153.4 x 153.4 x 6.4 cm), © Derrick Adams Studio, courtesy the artist and Gagosian
One of his works, Only Happy Thoughts (2024), features a woman with a hairstyle made of Tootsie Roll candies, an image that is both sweet and bittersweet. While conveying a sense of joy, it prompts reflection on the role of pop icons in identity construction. The “tactility” of the collages recalls artisanal craftsmanship, an implicit tribute to the history of African-descendant communities, often forced to express themselves through repurposed materials. Further into the exhibition, Sweetening the Pot (2024) creates a dialogue between face vessels – ceramic pots historically crafted by enslaved people of African descent in the American South – and the iconic Kool-Aid mascot. This striking juxtaposition of historical artifacts and contemporary commercial symbols highlights Adams’ ability to weave together memory and modernity, prompting viewers to reconsider dominant cultural narratives.
Derrick Adams, “Fantastic Voyage”, 2024, acrylic and fabric collage on wood panel, in artist’s frame, 96 3/8 x 72 3/8 x 2 1/2 inches (244.8 x 183.8 x 6.4 cm), © Derrick Adams Studio, courtesy the artist and Gagosian
We stand mesmerized before Fantastic Voyage (2024), a monumental work measuring 244.8 × 183.8 cm, in which Derrick Adams employs collage techniques to construct a dreamlike atmosphere, suspended between dream and memory. At the center of the composition emerges a figure embodying a female genie, seated on a nocturnal beach inside an illuminated head inspired by traditional face vessels. This dialogue between historical references and contemporary imagination reflects the artist’s intent to restore a central role to women, acknowledging their complexity and the value often overlooked in artistic narratives. In Fantastic Voyage, female creative energy is not merely an individual expression but a collective and ancestral force, capable of transcending the boundaries of personal experience. The figure enclosed within the head becomes a symbol of a tradition that intertwines spirituality and folk art, while the face itself, an emblem of knowledge and consciousness, transforms into a metaphysical space, suggesting a timeless and universal wisdom. The surrealist aesthetic of the collage, with its exploration of the unconscious and the irrational, amplifies this vision. The woman takes on an enigmatic aura, challenging logic and creating a context where myth and historical memory intertwine with awareness: her identity is no longer static but opens up to a collective reflection on culture and history, inviting a rediscovery of her roots and potential. The image of the woman on the nocturnal beach, suspended between reality and imagination, is no longer that of a passive muse but of a self-aware creative force. This is not just an act of reclaiming the female role but a broader reflection on her position within the artistic and historical landscape. The figure emerges as a guardian of a continuously evolving cultural heritage – a spiritual and creative presence that, while always existing, has too often been overlooked.
Derrick Adams, “Getting the Bag”, 2024, acrylic and fabric collage on wood panel, in artist’s frame, 60 3/8 x 60 3/8 x 2 1/2 inches (153.4 x 153.4 x 6.4 cm), © Derrick Adams Studio, courtesy the artist and Gagosian
With the work Getting the Bag (2024), Adams reaches the peak of his critical narrative, carefully exploring the dynamics of power, desire and consumerism in contemporary society. In this composition, a masked man clutches an eagle – the ultimate symbol of America, an emblem of strength, freedom and power – which, in turn, grips a Telfar bag, an icon of style and status in the fashion world. The piece encapsulates the allure and ambiguity of capitalism, which blends personal desire with social values. The work lends itself to multiple interpretations, recalling the classical myth of Ganymede, the young boy abducted by Zeus to become his cupbearer on Mount Olympus. In this context, the masked man transforms into a contemporary Ganymede, whose “abduction” is no longer linked to divine will but rather to the desire for social affirmation, embodied by the Telfar bag. The composition of Getting the Bag showcases Adams’ skill in merging the personal with the collective, the symbolic with the material. The masked figure creates a distance between the individual and their essence, becoming a collective representation of power and desire dynamics at play. At the center of the piece, the connection between the eagle and the bag – two seemingly incongruous symbols – becomes the focal point of reflection, highlighting the evolution of American values and the increasing weight of consumerism in self-construction. Through this fusion of symbolic and material elements, the work subtly critiques power structures and modern social hierarchies, inviting viewers to reflect on the relationship between identity and consumption.
Derrick Adams, “Situation Comedy”, 2025, installation view, artwork © Derrick Adams Studio. photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd, courtesy Gagosian
Derrick Adams is not just an artist but a storyteller who uses the canvas as a stage to narrate complex, layered stories with irony, warmth, and depth. Situation Comedy is an immersive experience that invites us to reflect on how history, consumerism and pop culture shape our identity. With a sharp yet playful approach, Adams turns everyday life into a visual stage where dreams, memories and symbols intertwine, revealing the contradictions of contemporary society.
Info:
Derrick Adams. Situation Comedy
February 13/02 – 22/03/2025
Gagosian
17–19 Davies Street, London
www.gagosian.com
She graduated at the Academy of Fine Arts in Catania. During her lifetime, she has experienced various arts including sculpture, theatre, dance and photography, and the latter one became the springboard for her eclectic and innovative artistic path. In 2010, she approached the art curatorial world and started to write reviews and critical texts; later, she founded “Artisti Italiani – arti visive e promozione”, an organisation which deals with all the promotional aspects of contemporary art.
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