IAJM INTERVIEW w/ FAHAMU PECOU
Introduce yourself. Who are you? My name is Fahamu Pecou. I'm a visual and performance artist. I'm a scholar... in the words of KRS-1, 'I think very deeply'. I am a husband and a father. I love my family intensely, not just the one I was born to, but my human family. As such, I am a servant. Through my work, ideas, and efforts. I'm invested in creating a world that will improve the quality of life for all people.
Where are you from? When do you start taking your art seriously? I was born in Brooklyn, NY, but I grew up in a small town called Hartsville, S.C. Some of my earliest memories are of drawing. I always appreciated the joy people expressed at my drawings when I was in 2nd grade. I knew then I wanted to be an artist, however, I just didn't know how to go about doing so. People would say artists were starving, or that they didn't make money until after their death. I was not eager for a life like that. In 4th grade, I read a brief biography about Charles Schultz (creator of Charlie Brown and the Peanuts) and the bio mentioned that Schultz was a cartoon animator. By this period in life, I had logged THOUSANDS of hours parked in front of a television watching cartoons, but I'd never considered who was making them, nor had I heard the term "animator". I raced home after school and grabbed the "A" encyclopaedia (the only books in my house was a set of World Book Encyclopedias from 1969). I was referred to "C" for a cartoonist. I read the passage and learned that cartoonists could make upwards of $1000 a week. The year was 1984, so I deduced that they had to be making significantly more and decided then that I would be a cartoon animator. From then until my sophomore year in college, everything I did was about preparing to be a cartoon animator.
In terms of what you do, what makes Fahamu standout from the other artists and painters, today?
I believe every artist is special, unique. I speak from a place of experience. My goal is elevation.
What does your art, in particular, mean to you?
My work is about affirming the quality, the diversity, the HUMANITY of Black men.
What's next for you in 2017, do you have any big projects lined up? If so, what are they?
Currently, I'm working on a new exhibit of works on paper and a sound installation called "The People Could Fly". The exhibit opens February 18 at Conduit Gallery in Dallas Tx. I'll also be exhibiting new work this Fall at Backslash Gallery in Dallas TX. In between, I am completing two large-scale public commissions through an organisation called 'En Route'. These installations push forward notions of social and civic engagement on Atlanta's public transit system, MARTA. Along with partners WonderRoot, GA DOT, MARTA has formed what's known as the transformation alliance. En Route is their first endeavour which sees me produce large scale works at 4 of the city's MARTA stations. Last but not least, my wife and I are launching a new podcast series about relationships called B E T T A H A L F ™.
Who are some of the people who motivated you to pursue art as a career choice? Who gave you that fire to create?
The first would honestly have been the character JJ Evans from the TV show "Good Times". He was the first person I saw who looked like me that was doing something I loved to do.
Since then there have been many others in my personal life to give me a boost or nudge. But chief among them would probably be my elementary school art teacher Mrs. Caroline Govan. As a boy, she always encouraged me to not just be my best, but to do my best. By Mrs. Govan submitting my drawings into regional and state art competitions, she helped me realise that art could be more than a notion. Those experiences also helped me develop confidence in my abilities.
What was your first artistic exhibition? What was that experience like?
My first exhibition was my senior exhibit in college. All graduating fine art majors would produce a solo exhibit, promote and hang the work etc. My exhibit was called "Life After Death". It was my first time acknowledging the trauma of the night my mother was killed. But the experience making and ultimately showing that work taught me something I could never have anticipated. The night of the opening I saw people express shock, sadness, and compassion. Some even thanked me for the courage I showed in revealing such an intimate and painful experience. Others confided in me that the work inspired them to mend wounds and relationships of their own. But ultimately what I saw was the power of art, what it could DO. I decided then that I didn't want to make art for art's sake. I wanted to make work that would help and heal and elevate our humanity.
In your mind and in your heart, why is it important to portray the Black image so prominently in your work?
I believe art has the capacity to not just reflect the best of us, but that it can also project and propel us to be even better. My work centers on the experiences of Black masculinity, not least of all because I feel Black men have historically and systemically been misrepresented, mis-voiced. If you go back through the history of representations, you'll see that for Black people (period) self-representing is a relatively new phenomenon. And even within that conversation, a great majority of the voices discussing Black male masculinity are not the voices of Black men.
As a Black male and an artist, I feel that it is important to tell our stories, to show our experiences, as well as to critique our shortcomings. In doing so, I believe the work allows for a greater sense of connection not just among Black men, but for all people regardless of race or nationality or sexuality or gender. It becomes a human thing- not just a Black thing or a male thing.
There are many who don't project that imagery, I'm curious to know why you choose to do so. Shout-outs. Who in your life would you like to acknowledge or thank for supporting you or providing you with help over the years?
Def a MAJOR shout out to my manager and one of the most amazing people I have ever known, Karen Marie Mason!!! I'd also like to say I'm really fortunate to have a great team of galleries supporting me; Nancy and Danette at Conduit Gallery in Dallas TX, Michael and Deanne at Lyons Wier Gallery in New York, and Delphine and Severine at Backslash Gallery in Paris, France. Every chance I get I always try to thank my mentors Arturo Lindsay and Bill Bounds. BIG BIG love to my wife and best friend, the amazing celebrity vegan chef Jamila Crawford Pècou, our girls Sigele, Tsehai and Oji and my little buddy, my son Ngozi.
