Derrick Adams “ON”

Pioneer Works

poster for Derrick Adams “ON”

This event has ended.

Pioneer Works presents ON, a solo exhibition of new work and performance by Derrick Adams, curated by Pioneer Works Director Gabriel Florenz. Through large-scale, boldly colored mixed media collages, performance, sound pieces, and illuminated sculptures, ON continues Adams’ investigation of consumerism and the dramatization of black figures in entertainment and popular culture.

ON spans three gallery spaces on Pioneer Works’ ground floor. In the main space, Adams will present nine large-scale, mixed-media wall hangings (building upon his LIVE and IN COLOR series) that function as both sculptural objects and backdrops for live performance. On opening night, Adams will act as conductor, live mixing sound from mic’d performers within the nine settings into an orchestrated production. The performers’ scripts reference scenes from television programs from the late 1980s and early 1990s as well as late-night infomercials. The constructed environments along with Adams’ interventions allude to the manipulated and programmed reality of contemporary culture—from targeted advertisement campaigns to social archetypes that dominate the media. The performance will be recorded, then projected onto a gallery wall for the duration of the show.

In the smaller gallery spaces, new static and sculptural works are presented within more meditative environments. In the first space, nine lamp sculptures with braided wigs as shades will be surrounded by Adams’ new collage paintings: the Network Constellations. The works will be presented along with an audio track of Adams singing. In the second space, night lights on a wooden frame will reveal a collage of video stills of 1990’s television psychic Miss Cleo. The monotonous tone of a broadcast signal will reverberate throughout the room.

Throughout the exhibition, the repeated use of the number nine alludes to the SMPTE color bar image—the most basic indication that the dated medium is switched “on.” For Adams, the concept of “on” functions as both a technical and performative motif, weaving together Adams’ sculptural, video, and performative practices.

The exhibition’s opening reception is Friday, June 10, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The performance will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. Dates for subsequent performances and related programming will be announced shortly.

Derrick Adams is a New York-based artist working in performance, video, and sound in both two- and three-dimensional realms. Adams has exhibited nationally and internationally, including exhibitions at MoMA PS1; Brooklyn Museum of Art; Studio Museum in Harlem; Brooklyn Academy of Music; Contemporary Art Museum Houston; Birmingham Museum of Art; and PERFORMA. Adams’ work is included 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. His awards and fellowships include a Louis Comfort Tiffany Award, an S.J. Weiler Award, and an Agnes Martin Fellowship. His work can be seen at Tilton Gallery (New York), Rhona Hoffman Gallery (Chicago) and Gallerie Anne de Villepoix (Paris). Adams holds degrees from Columbia University (MFA) and Pratt Institute (BFA), and is an alumnus of the Skowhegan School and Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program.

Media

Schedule

from June 10, 2016 to July 10, 2016

Opening Reception on 2016-06-10 from 19:00
Performance & Reception

Artist(s)

Derrick Adams

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