Derek Toomes is an artist based in Greensboro and Raleigh, NC.  He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Interior Architecture at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  Derek is drawn to the iconic imagery of popular culture, as he is equally interested our societal location as a culture inundated by imagery. His sourcing as well as appropriation of images allows Derek to create work that is aesthetically and anthropologically situated within culture, while also commenting on that culture. His images, videos, kinetic objects, and installations are both: self aware, and art aware, as they operate as contemporary atavistic viewing experiences. 

Having spent an extended time in Los Angeles, Derek’s work is also influenced by Latino art. He often uses richer textures, more luxurious colors, and more ornamental, hand-drawn lettering, which both compliment and provide a stark contrast to his grittier, more urban techniques.  He works with a number of mediums from aerosol paint, marker, wheat paste, and acrylic on conventional sized canvases, to large installations that incorporate video and robotic elements.

Derek’s work has been featured in various progressive art shows, including; North Carolina Museum of Art, Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, and he has been invited to work on an array of collaborative art projects throughout Northern America.