DERRICK ADAMS: FUNTIME UNICORNS
Presented in partnership with Rockefeller Center at Rockefeller Center
Press Release
ART PRODUCTION FUND & ROCKEFELLER CENTER
ANNOUNCE PUBLIC ART PRESENTATION BY RENOWNED ARTIST DERRICK ADAMS
On view June 29, 2022 - September 9, 2022
@ARTPRODUCTIONFUND / @ROCKEFELLERCENTER / @DERRICKADAMSNY
NEW YORK, NY - Art Production Fund and Rockefeller Center are pleased to present Derrick Adams: Funtime Unicorns, the inaugural production of Derrick Adams Editions located in the Channel Gardens beginning June 29th, 2022 and on view through September 9th, 2022.
An unexpected take on the iconic and mythical unicorn, Funtime Unicorns is a series of interactive sculptures for social engagement and play. Set in the urban landscape, it invokes the idea of Blackness as magical, colorful, mystical, free-spirited, and deserving of protection.
Derrick Adams, a Baltimore-born, New York-based artist, identifies his practice as a fearless inquiry into Black life to emphasize a narrative that champions humanity and wholeness. Often referencing a deconstructivist framework, Adams’ acclaimed practice is multi-disciplinary spanning painting, collage, sculpture, performance, and video. Adams has chosen to study the influence of pop culture and self-image through the Black lens, leading him to question and reflect on the Black American experience through art history, consumerism, and iconography.
"In each one of these sculptures, my hope is that young Black boys and girls have a chance to laugh and bounce, climb and lean. This is a place to make new friends - who are just as magical and colorful and who represent a more imaginative future for all of us. I am so excited I had the opportunity to showcase this new edition and create this fantastical work with Art Production Fund" - DERRICK ADAMS, ARTIST
Funtime Unicorns builds off Adams’ signature iconography and imagery in a continuation of the artist's acclaimed Floater series -- a collection of vivid portraits that show Black people in various states of rest and play atop the popularized plastic pool float. An ode to the Black Unicorn figure first appearing in the Floater paintings, then realized as life-size inflatable pool floats, Funtime Unicorns in its latest iteration is a manifestation of Adams' conviction. The idea that Black joy, love, and play should be normalized and celebrated in popular visual culture.
“It is an honor to partner with Derrick Adams to bring this uplifting interactive sculpture series to the public. This joyous installation offers visitors the opportunity to participate in art in a unique way, which brings children together for a shared experience combining public art and playful fun.” - CASEY FREMONT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ART PRODUCTION FUND
Derrick Adams' "Funtime Unicorns" is truly wonderful, and will be a magical addition to the Channel Gardens this Summer. We hope that they will inspire those who see and interact with them, creating lasting memories for art lovers of all ages." - EB KELLY, MANAGING DIRECTOR AND HEAD OF ROCKEFELLER CENTER
Funtime Unicorns is presented with generous support from Tishman Speyer and Robert Lococo.
DERRICK ADAMS received his MFA from Columbia University and BFA from Pratt Institute. He is an alumnus of the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and Marie Walsh Sharpe Foundation’s Studio Program. Adams is a recipient of a Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Residency (2019), a Gordon Parks Foundation Fellowship (2018), a Studio Museum Joyce Alexander Wein Artist Prize (2016), and a Louis Comfort Tiffany Award (2009). He has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions, including Where I’m From — Derrick Adams (2019) at The Gallery in Baltimore City Hall; Derrick Adams: Sanctuary (2018) at the Museum of Arts and Design, New York; and Derrick Adams: Transmission (2018) at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver. Adams’ work has been presented in numerous important public exhibitions, including Men of Change: Power. Triumph. Truth. (2019) at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Cincinnati; PERFORMA (2015, 2013, and 2005); The Shadows Took Shape (2014) and Radical Presence (2013–14) at The Studio Museum in Harlem; The Channel (2012) at the Brooklyn Academy of Music; Greater New York (2005) at MoMA PS1; and Open House: Working In Brooklyn (2004) at the Brooklyn Museum. His work resides in the permanent collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Studio Museum in Harlem, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and the Birmingham Museum of Art.
DERRICK ADAMS EDITIONS is a venture launched by artist Derrick Adams in order to extend Adams’ practice to new audiences and increase accessibility to his art. In response to the growing impact of contemporary visual culture, Derrick Adams Editions turns to new channels to engage audiences, by creating unique artwork editions rooted in Adams’ distinct visual vocabulary, while experimenting with format, medium, and scale.
ART PRODUCTION FUND is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to commissioning and producing ambitious public art projects, reaching new audiences and expanding awareness through contemporary art. Past projects include: Elmgreen & Dragset,“Prada Marfa,” Valentine, TX, Ugo Rondinone, “Seven Magic Mountains,” Las Vegas, Jeff Koons, “Seated Ballerina,” Rockefeller Plaza, NYC, Zoe Buckman, “CHAMP,” LA; Raul de Nieves “When I Look In To Your Eyes I See the Sun,” Miami; Nancy Baker Cahill “Liberty Bell”, multiple cities; Sanford Biggers “Oracle”, Rockefeller Center, NY; Lucy Sparrow “Tampa Fresh Foods”, Tampa, FL. Art Production Fund was Co-Founded in 2000 by Doreen Remen and Yvonne Force Villareal. Executive Director: Casey Fremont, Director of Operations: Kathleen Lynch. For more information, please visit artproductionfund.org / @artproductionfund
For more information about Rockefeller Center visit www.artproductionfund.org and follow Art Production Fund on Instagram @artproductionfund.
About Tishman Speyer (tishmanspeyer.com)
Tishman Speyer is a leading owner, developer, operator and investment manager of first-class real estate in 30 key markets across the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America. We develop, build and manage premier office, residential and retail spaces for industry-leading tenants, as well as state-of-the-art life science centers through our Breakthrough Properties venture. With global vision, on-the-ground expertise and a personalized approach, we are unparalleled in our ability to foster innovation, quickly adapt to global and local trends and proactively anticipate our customers’ evolving needs. By focusing on health and wellness, enlightened placemaking and customer-focused initiatives such as our tenant amenities platform, ZO., and our flexible space and co-working brand, Studio, we tend not just to our physical buildings, but to the people who inhabit them on a daily basis. Since our inception in 1978, Tishman Speyer has acquired, developed, and operated 484 properties, totaling 219 million square feet, with a combined value of over $121 billion (U.S.). Our current portfolio includes such iconic assets as Rockefeller Center in New York City, The Springs in Shanghai, TaunusTurm in Frankfurt and the Mission Rock neighborhood currently being realized in San Francisco.
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