Fahamu Pecou. “Griot” (2018). Acrylic and diamond dust on indigo-dyed canvas, 66 x 48 in / 168 x 122 cm. Courtesy of Lyons Wier Gallery, New York
In 2002, a message appeared: “Fahamu Pecou Is the Shit!” The bold declaration, which appeared on stickers and posters around New York City, told it like it was, announcing the arrival of a new artist coming straight out of Brooklyn. Pecou, who had been doing graphic design for hip hop stars, decided to bring the language of the streets to fine art.
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Over the past two decades, Pecou has used his work explore, examine, and embrace the power and presence of black masculinity in a country that alternately marginalises, fetishises, and vilifies countless lives.
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With the publication of Visible Man (Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, College of Charleston), a simultaneous two-year exhibition tour across the United States, and a concurrent exhibition MEMORY at Lyons Wier Gallery, New York (closing 31 March), Pecou looks at the ways in which the media and pop culture shape the relationship between representation and identity.
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Whether creating large-scale figurative paintings that embrace the performative aspects of gender and race, or placing his work on the cover of major magazines, Pecou firmly asserts the importance of defining one’s self-worth while simultaneously questioning the assumptions present in the packaging of existing archetypes. The result is a multi-layered body of work that re-members the black experience across time and space.
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Below, Pecou speaks about what it takes to challenge the status quo, claim your space, and transform the narrative to empower, inspire, and elevate.
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Fahamu Pecou. “All This Without a Basketball” (2005). Acrylic and oil stick on canvas 66 x 51 inches. Private collection. Courtesy of Fahamu Pecou
Fahamu Pecou. “Ambitions of a Rider” (2010). Acrylic and oil stick on canvas 78” x 60”. From the series Hard 2 Death. Courtesy of Conduit Gallery, Dallas