Derek Fordjour (born 1974) is an American interdisciplinary artist and educator of Ghanaian heritage, who works in

collage Collage (, from the french: coller, "to glue" or "to stick together";) is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole. ...

video Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

, and

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

. Fordjour lives and works in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Early life and education

Derek Fordjour was born 1974 in

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

. His parents were both Ghanaian immigrants. Fordjour received an MFA from

Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools. It also admi ...

, an Ed. M in Arts Education from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, and a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from

Morehouse College , mottoeng = And there was light (literal translation of Latin itself translated from Hebrew: "And light was made") , type = Private historically black men's liberal arts college , academic_affiliations ...

. Fordjour is a member of

Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. () is the oldest intercollegiate historically African American fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the 1905–1906 school year at Cornell University but later evolved int ...

fraternity. He was commissioned by Alpha Phi Alpha to create a

portrait A portrait is a portrait painting, painting, portrait photography, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, Personality type ...

entitled ''An Experiment in Brotherhood'' to commemorate the founding of the fraternity.

Career

He was appointed the Alex Katz Chair at

Cooper Union The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (Cooper Union) is a private college at Cooper Square in New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-supported École Polytechnique in ...

in Spring 2020, and since 2018 he serves as a Core Critic at

Yale University School of Art The Yale School of Art is the art school of Yale University. Founded in 1869 as the first professional fine arts school in the United States, it grants Masters of Fine Arts degrees to students completing a two-year course in graphic design, painti ...

. In 2014, Fordjour was working with sports imagery in his art, and which served as metaphors of inequality. In 2020, his series of artwork in the exhibition titled, "Shelter" were created during the self-quarantine period due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. The works in "Shelter" examined the privilege of security, as well as confinement. In 2021, the artist had a solo exhibition at Pond Society in Shanghai, China; where his paintings looked at the gamification of social structures and vulnerability. In these paintings, Fordjour incorporated layers of the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

''. On his use of the paper in his practice, Fordjour explained in ''Ocula Magazine'': 'The Financial Times is making an effort to differentiate itself from the pool of other newsprint with its distinctive colour. The idea of individuation—the desire to distinguish oneself in the face of being stereotyped or grouped—has a tension that I identify with.' His work has been exhibited in numerous venues including Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (2020), Nasher Museum of Art (2019), and the Whitney Museum of Contemporary Art (2018–2019). He has received commissions for public projects including a permanent installation for Metropolitan Transit Authority of New York City at 145th Street Subway Station, and the Whitney Museum Billboard Project in 2018.

Personal life

In July 2022, Fordjour married Alexis Hoag-Fordjour at the Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in Manhattan.

Awards, honors, and collections

He was awarded 2016 Sugarhill Museum Artist-in-Residence; the 2017 Sharpe Walentas Studio Program in New York City; and named the 2018 Deutsche Bank NYFA Fellowship Award. His work appears in several public and private collections, including the

Studio Museum in Harlem The Studio Museum in Harlem is an American art museum devoted to the work of artists of African descent. The museum's galleries are currently closed in preparation for a building project that will replace the current building, located at 144 W ...

Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 1.5 million objects. Located near the Prospect Heights, Crown H ...

, Perez Museum,

Dallas Museum of Art The Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) is an art museum located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas, along Woodall Rodgers Freeway between St. Paul and Harwood. In the 1970s, the museum moved from its previous location in Fair Park to the Art ...

, the

Whitney Museum The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is an art museum in the Meatpacking District, Manhattan, Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1930 by Gertrude ...

, and Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Select exhibitions

* 2020 'SELF MUST DIE', Petzel Gallery, New York, NY *2020 'SHELTER', Contemporary Art Museum of St. Louis, St. Louis, MO *2019 'The House Always Wins', Josh Lilley, London, UK *2019 'JRRNNYS', Night Gallery, Los Angeles, CA *2018 'Half Mast', the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY *2018 'Derek Fordjour: Camelot Study', BAM, Brooklyn, NY *2018 'Ritual', Nina Johnson Gallery, Miami, FL *2017 'PARADE', Sugar Hill Museum, New York, NY *2016 'Agency and Regulation', LUCE Gallery,

Turin, Italy Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. T ...

* 2016 'Eight Paintings', Papillion Art,

Los Angeles, CA Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

* 2015 'UPPER ROOM', Robert Blumenthal Gallery, New York, NY

Selected press and reviews

* ''

Hyperallergic ''Hyperallergic'' is an online arts magazine, based in Brooklyn, New York. Founded by the art critic Hrag Vartanian and his husband Veken Gueyikian in October 2009, the site describes itself as a "forum for serious, playful, and radical thinking ...

'', "Derek Fordjour Conjures a Heavenly World", Seph Rodney, December 16, 2020 * ''T: The New York Times Style'' Magazine, “Marching to…, T Magazine, November 27, 2020 * ''New York Times'', “Derek Fordjour, From Anguish…”, Siddhartha Mitter, November 19, 2020 * ''ARTNews'', “Best Practices: Derek Fordjour…”, Andy Battaglia, November 10, 2020 *''

'', “Derek Fordjour on painting…”, Jackie Wullschläger, October 20, 2020 *''

Elephant Magazine Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae an ...

'', “Derek Fordjour Uses Sport…”, Emily Steer, October 16, 2020 * ''Artsy'', “Derek Fordjour Honors Disenfranchised…”, Jacqui Germain, June 3, 2020 *''

'', “Painting crowds, or the lack…”, Jackie Wullschläger, May 8, 2020 *''

'', “Derek Fordjour Considers…”, Jack Radley, April 6, 2020 *''

Artforum ''Artforum'' is an international monthly magazine specializing in contemporary art. The magazine is distinguished from other magazines by its unique 10½ x 10½ inch square format, with each cover often devoted to the work of an artist. Notabl ...

'', “Critics Pick: Derek Fordjour: Shelter”, Jennifer Piejko, January 2020 * ''St. Louis Post Dispatch'', “Beyond white walls…”, Jane Henderson, January 17, 2020 *''

'', “Four exhibitions bring African…”, Jackie Wullschlager, 2019 * ''Artnews'', “Petzel Gallery Now Represents Derek…”, Annie Armstrong, 2019 *''Galerie'', “The rising-star artist uses imagery of carnivals…”, Lucy Rees, 2019 *''Cultured'', “Artist Derek Fordjour Revels in The Game…”, Jennifer Piejko, 2019 *''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'', “Datebook: Paintings of…”, Carolina A. Miranda, 2019 *''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'', “‘I Don’t Want to Be a Blip…”, Kelly Crow, 2019 *''

Artnet News Artnet.com is an art market website. It is operated by Artnet Worldwide Corporation, which has headquarters in New York City, in the United States, and is owned by Artnet AG, a German publicly traded company based in Berlin that is listed on t ...

'', “8 Art Advisors Tell Us Which Artists…”, Henri Neuendorf, 2018 *''Culture Type'', “Historic Bequest: Late Arts…”, Victoria L. Valentine, Oct, 10 2018 *''

'', “Price Check! Here’s What Sold…”, artnet News, October 9, 2018 *''

'', “Studio Museum in Harlem…”, Jasmine Weber, October 8, 2018 * ''Artnews'', “Even as Brexit Looms, Galleries…”, Judd Tully, October 3, 2018 *''Gotham'', “6 Innovators Shaping…”, The Editors, October 1, 2018 *''Juvenile Justice'', “Arts-centered New York…”, Shay Urbani, May 25, 2018 *''

'', “Wandering the Artists…”, Seph Rodney, May 5, 2018 * ''Surface'', “Best of Zona Maco 2018”, Brooke Porter Katz, February 11, 2018 * ''Artsy'', “What Sold at Zona Maco”, Anna Louie Sussman, February 11, 2018 *''

'', “The Political Truths…”, Seph Rodney, February 9, 2018 *''

The Art Newspaper ''The Art Newspaper'' is a monthly print publication, with daily updates online, founded in 1990 and based in London and New York City. It covers news of the visual arts as they are affected by international politics and economics, developments ...

'', “Art Los…”, Maxwell Williams, January 31, 2018 *''

'', “How Artist Derek Fordjour…”, Sarah Cascone, December 18, 2017 *''

'', “A Dreamy Carnival…”, Seph Rodney, November 22, 2017 *''The Undefeated'', “The Portrait of an Artist…”, Kelley D. Evans, October 6, 2017 *''Galerie Magazine'', “Derek Fordjour’s Immersive…”, Jacqueline Terrebonne, August 2, 2017 *''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

'', “The Jay-Z of the Art World Discusses His…”, Brienne Walsh, July 16, 2017 * ''Vice'', “Sports Are a Metaphor for Inequality…”, Francesca Capossela, June 21, 2017 *''

'', "And There is an End...", David Pagel, March 21, 2016 *''

'', “Derek Fordjour: Eight Paintings..” by Carolina Miranda, February 4, 2016 * ''Observer'', "Nine Overachieving New Yorkers You Must Date", February 3, 2016 * ''New York Times'', “From Derek Fordjour...” by

Holland Cotter Holland Cotter is an art critic with ''The New York Times''. In 2009, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. Life and work Cotter was born in Connecticut and grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. He earned his A.B. from Harvard College in 1970, wh ...

, November 19, 2015 * ''

'', “And There is an End..” by

David Pagel David Pagel is an American art critic, educator, curator, dioramatist and bike enthusiast. Contemporary art criticism Since 1991, Pagel has been a regular contributor to the ''Los Angeles Times.'' He is a professor of art theory and history at C ...

, March 21, 2015 * ''

The Brooklyn Rail ''The Brooklyn Rail'' is a publication and platform for the arts, culture, humanities, and politics. The ''Rail'' is based out of Brooklyn, New York. It features in-depth critical essays, fiction, poetry, as well as interviews with artists, criti ...

, Review'' of ‘The Big Game’.. by Johnathan Goodman, October 7, 2014 * ''Ebony'', “Artist Derek Fordjour has a Lesson for…”, by Souleo, September 29, 2014 * ''Huffington Post'', “The Sports World Could Learn...” by Souleo, 2014 *

MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and political ...

’s Thegrio.com, “40 Amazing Black Artists to Watch in 2014”, January 3, 2014

References

External links

Pen's Eye: Interview With Artist Derek Fordjour
(2014) {{DEFAULTSORT:Fordjour, Derek Harvard Graduate School of Education alumni Morehouse College alumni Living people African-American artists American artists Interdisciplinary artists 1974 births 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people