Hair and wigs carry enormous cultural and political weight in Black culture in particular, rendering them powerful tools for self-representation. Adams seizes on the ability to command one’s image via the change of a wig. He aims to make the desire to be unique and stand out—through the practice he refers to as “costuming”—normal to the broader public.

His paintings do not show generic mannequin heads: the geometry of the faces is individualized with varied skin tones and makeup to complement the attitudes projected by the wigs. The artist views are self-adornment as powerful. The larger-than-life scale and the direct gaze of the heads give them command of the gallery space. These paintings are about being seen—honoring spectacle, celebrating what the artist calls every day “fantastic-ness,” and telegraphing power over one’s image.

This exhibition is a collaboration between Cleveland Clinic and the Cleveland Museum of Art in celebration of Cleveland Clinic’s centennial. Both institutions are deeply committed to the value that all people need to see and be seen with empathy, and each organization contributes to that goal through art. A cornerstone of Cleveland Clinic’s care model, empathy is embodied in the diversity of its contemporary art collection, wherein patients, visitors, and caregivers alike can find themselves represented in the art. Derrick Adams’s paintings, which are about recognizing and respecting individual expression, directly address representation and visibility as conduits to empathy.