February 6 - EXTENDED until March 20
Cross Pollination Art Lab, 2450 Piedmont Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30324
The Space Between, a new project from Dr. Fahamu Pecou.
Displays of affection between Black men are considered rare, if it is considered a valid experience at all. This project works to dispel the pervasive myth of violence and discord within the Black male community. Narratives of “Black on Black violence” betray the intimacy of brotherhood and camaraderie that is very often expressed between Black men. The project features a dual channel video installation featuring video portraits of Black men exchanging affirming expressions of love to and for one another. The project seeks to both image and normalize expressions of care, concern, and compassion while challenging the pervasive image of Black violence and trauma.
The project will yield a short film/documentary capturing the experience of making the project as well as reactions to the finally realized installation.
In addition to the video installation/film, the project will feature a series of panel discussions where Black men share intimate stories of brotherhood and the healing power of love.
Dr. Fahamu Pecou is an interdisciplinary artist and scholar whose works combine observations on hip-hop, fine art and popular culture. Pecou’s paintings, performance art, and academic work addresses concerns around contemporary representations of Black men and how these images impact both the reading and performance of Black masculinity.
Dr. Pecou received his BFA at the Atlanta College of Art in 1997 and a Ph.D. from Emory University in 2018. He exhibits his art worldwide in addition to lectures and speaking engagements at colleges and universities.
As an educator, Dr. Pecou has developed (ad)Vantage Point, a narrative-based arts curriculum focused on Black male youth.
Dr. Pecou is also the founding Director of the African Diaspora Art Museum of Atlanta (ADAMA).
Pecou's work is featured in noted private and public national and international collections including; Smithsonian National Museum of African American Art and Culture, Societe Generale (Paris), Nasher Museum at Duke University, The High Museum of Art, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Seattle Art Museum, Paul R. Jones Collection, ROC Nation, Clark Atlanta University Art Collection and Museum of Contemporary Art Georgia.
In 2020, Pecou was one of 6 artists selected for Emory University's groundbreaking Arts & Social Justice Fellowship.
Additionally, Pecou was the Georgia awardee for the 2020 South Arts Prize. In 2017 he was the subject of a retrospective exhibition "Miroirs de l'Homme" in Paris, France. A recipient of the 2016 Joan Mitchell Foundation "Painters and Sculptors" Award, his work also appears in several films and television shows including; HBO's Between the World and Me, Blackish, and The Chi. Pecou's work has also been featured on numerous publications including Atlanta Magazine, Hanif Abdurraqib's poetry collection, A Fortune for Your Disaster and the award-winning collection of short stories by Rion Amilcar Scott, The World Doesn't Require You