Derrick Adams, born in Baltimore, is a multidisciplinary artist now living and working in Brooklyn. Adams’s work celebrates and expands the dialogue around contemporary Black life and culture through scenes of normalcy and perseverance, often drawing inspiration from everyday life, popular culture, and historical narratives. Much of his work is a celebration of these themes through depictions of leisure, relaxation, and rest. His Cool Down Bench blends the functionality of a bench with the recognizable form of a an ice pop and the colors of the Pan-African flag. This combination of form, function, and color can evoke memories, spur contemplation, or simply provide a place to rest. While some may see a colorful ice pop bench, Adams’s intentions for his work are imbued with ideas about community, relaxation, and hopes for public spaces that can spark generations of joy and connection. He encourages viewers to figuratively consider the importance of leisure and self-care while literally providing a place to do so.
Derrick Adams, born in Baltimore, is a multidisciplinary artist now living and working in Brooklyn. Adams’s work celebrates and expands the dialogue around contemporary Black life and culture through scenes of normalcy and perseverance, often drawing inspiration from everyday life, popular culture, and historical narratives. Much of his work is a celebration of these themes through depictions of leisure, relaxation, and rest. His Cool Down Bench blends the functionality of a bench with the recognizable form of a an ice pop and the colors of the Pan-African flag. This combination of form, function, and color can evoke memories, spur contemplation, or simply provide a place to rest. While some may see a colorful ice pop bench, Adams’s intentions for his work are imbued with ideas about community, relaxation, and hopes for public spaces that can spark generations of joy and connection. He encourages viewers to figuratively consider the importance of leisure and self-care while literally providing a place to do so.
Derrick Adams, born in Baltimore, is a multidisciplinary artist now living and working in Brooklyn. Adams’s work celebrates and expands the dialogue around contemporary Black life and culture through scenes of normalcy and perseverance, often drawing inspiration from everyday life, popular culture, and historical narratives. Much of his work is a celebration of these themes through depictions of leisure, relaxation, and rest. His Cool Down Bench blends the functionality of a bench with the recognizable form of a an ice pop and the colors of the Pan-African flag. This combination of form, function, and color can evoke memories, spur contemplation, or simply provide a place to rest. While some may see a colorful ice pop bench, Adams’s intentions for his work are imbued with ideas about community, relaxation, and hopes for public spaces that can spark generations of joy and connection. He encourages viewers to figuratively consider the importance of leisure and self-care while literally providing a place to do so.