Self-Portrait on Float

As part of his series Floaters, Derrick Adams portrayed himself in a relaxing moment of play, first in a painting and then in this related print. The series is a collection of vividly painted portraits of Black people in various states of rest and play, buoyantly floating on calm waters. Adams is deeply committed to depicting an often overlooked aspect of Black lives—the everyday. Finding that the historical record often omits crucial elements of that experience, especially joyful moments, he has consciously chosen to fill those gaps with imagery of his own, rooted in his personal reality.