Game Changing (Ace)

In Game Changing, Derrick Adams responds to a variety of social, historic, and cultural sources including Romare Bearden’s depictions of African-American life, objects from everyday life (such as playing cards), Henri Matisse’s celebrated work Jazz, David Hammons' 1969 Spade (Power to the Spade), and the legacy of concepts of nobility and royalty. Adams uses a bold palette of red, black, white, blue, and gold to create the royal suite (king, queen, jack, and ace) found in playing cards. By making his figures all African-American, the artist challenges the way representations of Caucasians have dominated quotidian objects, such as playing cards, and what such an exclusionary practice means when one come to approach such images as “normal” without thoughts to possible alternatives.
The prints in Game Changing are four-color screenprints with 23.5 carat gold leaf applied without adhesive to the yellow ink in order for the gold to be deliberately uneven and appear “distressed.” While many of Adams’ works feature clashing colors and patterns, the prints in Game Changing adhere closely to the design and motifs of standard playing cards. The prints encourage close examination and contemplation, while also providing a deep sense of visual pleasure.