One of the most prolific artists currently on the international art scene is the Brooklyn, New York based multidisciplinary artist, Derrick Adams. His work has been exhibited globally in France, Cuba, South Africa, England, Lithuania, Italy, and nationally at prestigious galleries and museums across the United States. On Friday, September 20, 2019, Adams will return to his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland for his show, Where I’m From, at The Gallery in Baltimore City Hall, marking Adams’ first solo show in his hometown.
Adams’ studio practice focuses on the fragmentation and manipulation of structure and surface, and explores self-image and forward projection. For WhereI’mFrom, Adams unveils ten (10) new large scale paintings taken from scenes of his childhood in Baltimore City. As a ten year old student at Edgecomb Elementary School, PS #62, Adams was encouraged by his art teacher, Ms. Williams, to enter the “My Heritage Myself” citywide student art competition. Adams entered and won. As one of the winners, Adams had his artwork displayed in Baltimore City Hall and had lunch with the Mayor.
Today, Adams is one of the most respected and sought-after artists by collectors, gallerists, museums, and celebrities alike. His exhibition highlights include MoMA PS1, Brooklyn Museum of Art, and the Studio Museum in Harlem. His work is in the permanent collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Studio Museum in Harlem, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and the Birmingham Museum of Art. “One of the many missions of The Gallery in Baltimore City Hall is to provide a viable platform for Baltimore City based artists and creative innovators to showcase their vision and voice,” said Mayor
Bernard C. “Jack” Young. “With our featured artist, Derrick Adams, it is a place for us as Baltimoreans all to be proud, to celebrate, and to welcome Derrick back home. We are extremely proud of our native son who has risen to the pinnacle in the art world.”
On his new body of work, Adams says, “These paintings are expressionistic scenes taken directly from my family’s photo albums, archiving our history and functioning more broadly as reflections on representations of kinship and close-knit relationships.”
Derrick Adams’ WhereI’mFrom, Baltimore Family Portrait series will be on view at The Gallery in Baltimore City Hall from September 20, 2019 through November 22, 2019.
