Sweet Spot
WHAT
This exhibition is the first solo show of the New York-based multi- disciplinary artist in Asia. As an artist with an established and distinctive visual language, the show features seven new paintings, focussing on the themes of Black joy, leisure, and fantasy; it also expands on what currently exists in the cultural canon of the Black experience. Specifically, Adams unveils works from his series, ‘Motion Picture Paintings’. These works pay homage to famous Black people and iconic Black figures in films while also drawing inspiration from Black films from the 90s.
WHY
Initiated in 2020, the ‘Motion Picture Paintings’ series depicts Adams’s family members, peers, acquaintances, and characters from everyday encounters in his signature Cubist style, characterised by colour blocks and dimensionality. Adams beckons the viewer to see what he sees: Blackness in its marvelously-varied forms of storytelling, positionality, and excellence, rather than in the burdensome stereotypes that have traditionally saturated the media.