Derrick Woods-Morrow

Lives and works in Chicago, IL, USA

Artist statement

Through a process of renewal, Derrick Woods-Morrow envisions ‘place-making’, ‘playfulness’ & ‘experimentation’ as necessary forms of activism for trans, gender non conforming & queer bodies of color. His recent work explores an array of historical narratives from the American Coastal South, celebrating, and archiving interactions between bodies in motion, their gendered forms & their connection to the racialized southern terrain. Through fluidly choreographed movement queer folx engage with Woods-Morrow’s personal narratives, imbuing the moments captured in his photographs with questions of shared existence, commonality, cultural vernaculars for identifying oneself as part of a community. These images parallel concerns Woods-Morrow has about racial and sexual identity as a performance - placing on a fulcrum the intricate expectations of the self, of adulthood desire, and of childhood play. In his work physical bodies ‘inhabit’ a fictive America, developing methods for experiencing his new American ideal of intimacy – a type of seeing that challenges pre-programmed structures concerning ‘race’ & ‘identity; the laborious & restful in-action; the landscapes of inner desires juxtaposed against the physical and emotional terrains that our bodies frequently inhabit.

Artwork