▷ Derek Fordjour | Buy Original Art Online

United States • 1974

Biography

The videos, paintings, sculptures, and films by American artist Derek Fordjour simultaneously celebrate Black life in the USA and deal with the inequality of the present and past. The multidisciplinary artist in his work often depicts African American athletes, dancers, rowers, and drum majors. However, even though they enjoy hard-earned success, an ever-present struggle and ambiguities follow their achievement. Over the course of his career, he has exhibited in Shanghai, New York, Turin, London, and Los Angeles, to name a few. Today his colorful and textually rich works are part of several private and public collections, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Pérez Art Museum Miami, and the Studio Museum in Harlem.

Derek Fordjour (born in 1974 in Memphis, Tennessee) received a BA from Morehouse College MFA from Hunter College, and earned an MA in Art Education at Harvard in 2002. The artist's parents were Ghanaian immigrants, and he always felt a deep connection to his roots, which can be strongly seen in his artistic expression. After graduating from Harvard, he moved to New York and began working with visual artist Mickalene Thomas' studio. Influenced by the artist, Fordjour began employing vibrant colors and textural surfaces in his work.

Even at college, the artist already had solo exhibitions in various galleries all over New York City. Many of his paintings he paired with his sculptural works and installations, creating immersive experiences.

Early in his career, Derek Fordjour did not have financial support, and the lack of resources was reflected in his choice of materials. Often he used foil, cardboard, and his favorite Financial Times newspaper. However, he easily adapted and still uses them in his paintings and installations like (2020) and (2019). By utilizing a collage-like technique and simple materials, the artist can create paintings with a rich texture. This is accomplished by creating up to ten layers of cardboard and newspaper, applying acrylic paint, and peeling and tearing the layers. For him, there is nothing quite as powerful as creating art. Fordjour said:

Throughout his career, Fordjour has had numerous solo shows, but the most intriguing one was (2020), which besides his paintings, and sculptures, featured a puppet show of his own design. In 2022 he participated in several group shows, including at Rennie Museum, at Albright-Knox Northland, and a solo exhibition entitled at David Kordansky Gallery. The same year he unveiled his large-scale artwork painted on the exterior of The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.

Derek Fordjour lives and works in New York.

Nationality

American artists