The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, is hosting 'Derrick Adams: View Master,' the first mid-career survey dedicated to the multidisciplinary artist. Featuring over 100 works spanning two decades, the exhibition includes painting, collage, sculpture, video, and performance that highlight Adams's unique visual language of pattern and color.
This retrospective is significant for its focus on 'Black leisure' as a radical act, intentionally pivoting away from historical narratives centered on struggle or spectacle. By monumentalizing the ordinary and the joyful, Adams asserts the sovereignty of the Black interior life, positioning rest and self-possession as vital components of contemporary cultural iconography.