AnnaBeth Crittenden, Campus Carrier Assistant Entertainment Editor
Fahamu Pecou is a painter based in Atlanta who combines visual and auditory art to make commentaries on society’s views on black masculinity.
Pecou was born in 1975 in Brooklyn, N.Y. When he was four years old, Pecou and his siblings were moved to Hartsville, S.C., to live with their mother’s relatives.
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| Photos courtesy of Fahamu Pecou Top: “All Dat Glitters Aint Goals” from Pecou’s exhibit of the same name. Middle: Fahamu Pecou Bottom: “Caged Bird (study)” from Pecou’s exhibit called “traps.” The exhibit was based off the poem “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” by Maya Angelou. |
According to the Emory Report, Pecou first dabbled in art with the creation of a superhero whom he called “Black Man.”
He began selling his comic strips in his hometown for 50 cents an issue. His classmates soon realized that “Black Man” looked a lot like Pecou.
Even now, although he is past his comic book drawing days, Pecou still models his drawing around himself and his identity as a black man.
In an interview with the Emory report, Pecou stated that he uses traits “typically associated with black men in hip-hop and juxtaposing them within a fine art context … both the realities and fantasies projected from and onto black male bodies.”
Pecou attended The Atlanta College of Art and graduated in 1997. When he entered college, he had dreams of becoming an animator, but he soon changed his major to electronic arts and painting.
After graduation, he moved to New York and worked as a graphic designer for many hip-hop artists.
After moving back to Atlanta, he then began his own design firm. However, after working with many hip-hop artists, he began to hate the way that black entertainers brand and market themselves.
Therefore, Pecou began a campaign called “Fahamu Pecou is the Sh-t,” to parody promotional materials.
Then, in 2004, he was invited to join a group art show at the High Museum of Art called “Art, Beats + Lyrics.” His paintings gained recognition and interest and were featured in several galleries over the next few years.
In 2011, Pecou was given his first solo exhibit in Paris. Also that year, Pecou won the Emerging Artist Award during Atlanta’s National Black Arts Festival.
Pecou is currently working on his Ph.D. in liberal arts at Emory University. His art is still being exhibited around the country, and he gives lectures and speeches to colleges and museums.According to Pecou’s official website, his work has changed throughout the years.
“My work seeks to provide a crucial intervention in contemporary representations of Black masculinity,” Pecou said on his official website. “I began my career experimenting with the branding strategies employed in hip-hop music and entertainment. These experiments ultimately led me to question not only the stereotypes engendered by the commodification of the hip-hop culture, but more, to consider how the influence of historic and social configurations of race, class and gender impact and inform these representations.”
Although he is primarily a visual artist, Pecou also performs as his character Fahamu Pecou is the Sh-t in order to challenge contemporary stereotypes in a way that encourages dialogue.
Also, with the release of his exhibit ALL DAT GLITTERS AINT GOALS came an EP of the same name that contained original music inspired by Pecou’s artwork.
Currently, Pecou’s artwork is on display at the High Museum of Art in a collaborative exhibit with José Parlá called “Imagining New Worlds.” The artwork is a retrospective of the artist Wilfredo Lam.
The exhibit opened on Feb. 14 and will run through May 24.
