Derek Fordjour facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Derek Fordjour
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| Born | 1974 (age 50–51) |
| Education | Morehouse College, Harvard University, Hunter College |
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Derek Fordjour is an American artist born in 1974. His family comes from Ghana. He creates many kinds of art, like collage, video, sculpture, and painting. Derek Fordjour lives and works in New York City.
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About Derek Fordjour
Early Life and School
Derek Fordjour was born in 1974 in Memphis, Tennessee. His parents moved there from Ghana.
He went to several colleges to study art and education. He earned a Bachelor's degree from Morehouse College. He also received a Master's degree in Arts Education from Harvard University. Later, he earned another Master's degree in Fine Arts from Hunter College.
Derek Fordjour is part of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He was asked by them to create a special portrait. This artwork, called An Experiment in Brotherhood, celebrates the fraternity's start.
His Art Career
Derek Fordjour is a well-known artist and teacher. Since 2018, he has been a main teacher at Yale University School of Art. In 2020, he was also given a special teaching position at Cooper Union.
In 2014, Fordjour started using sports pictures in his art. These images helped him talk about unfairness in society.
In 2020, he created a series of artworks for an exhibition called "Shelter." He made these pieces while staying home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The "Shelter" artworks explored ideas of safety and being confined.
In 2021, Fordjour had a solo art show in Shanghai, China. His paintings there looked at how social rules can feel like a game. They also showed how people can be vulnerable. In these paintings, he used layers of the Financial Times newspaper. He said he uses the paper because its unique color helps it stand out. He feels this idea of wanting to be different connects to his own art.
His art has been shown in many important places. These include the Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis (2020) and the Whitney Museum of Contemporary Art (2018–2019). He has also created art for public spaces. One of his permanent artworks is at the 145th Street Subway Station in New York City. He also created a billboard project for the Whitney Museum in 2018.
Important Artworks and Exhibitions
Here are some of the places where Derek Fordjour's art has been shown:
- 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
- 2016: 'Eight Paintings', Papillion Art, Los Angeles, CA
- 2015: 'UPPER ROOM', Robert Blumenthal Gallery, New York, NY
Awards and Collections
Derek Fordjour has received several awards for his art. In 2016, he was the Artist-in-Residence at the Sugarhill Museum. He also won the Sharpe Walentas Studio Program in 2017. In 2018, he received the Deutsche Bank NYFA Fellowship Award.
His artworks are part of many public and private collections. You can find his art in museums like the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Brooklyn Museum. His work is also in the Whitney Museum and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Personal Life
In July 2022, Derek Fordjour married Alexis Hoag-Fordjour. Their wedding took place in Manhattan.
