Black men in America: An intimate conversation with Fahamu Pecou and Killer Mike at The High Museum of Art
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| Killer Miker and Fahamu Pecou |
Killer Mike whose real name is Michael Render says the High is responsible for his interest in art. He speaks eloquently of the painting “The Banjo Lesson” by Henry Ossawa Tanner. Render says the piece conjures memories of his childhood with his grandfather. The rapper’s relation to the piece is surprisingly heartfelt and he displays his vulnerability with ease while explaining how art has contributed to his evolution.
“What Henry’s work did for me is allowed me to say I know this man, I know this child," the rapper reflects. "It made me a better human being. I was able to see beauty past the material.”
Render is a fan of pop modern art like Basquiat and Warhol, and he also collects paintings by Fahamu Pecou, a friend of Render's’s and artist. Pecou’s self-portraits have been the subject of many discussions for his portrayal of Black masculine identity.
“He captures the fragility of the African-American male. He’s is super, but he’s fragile. It shows us as the world sees us; strong and mighty,” Render says. “But to see and know him is to see the mortal who walks out of the painting." 
BMW GINA Light Visionary Model
on display on The High Museum of Art
No sooner than Render finishes his sentence Pecou takes a seat on the bench. The larger than life personas found in his work are a stark contrast from the real life 5'7 approachable male with the Gumby haircut. For many, his pieces are a limited representation of the Black male experience, blurring the lines between the inflated sense of masculinity often associated with Black males and reality. The man in the paintings with his pants sagging, feet clad in Air Jordan sneakers, a gold chain and an aggressive stance aims to spark dialogue about the expectations of Black men in America.
“I am perceived a certain way by police officers and there’s definitely that vulnerability,” Mike says. “There’s pressure on American men to be Superman, rather than thinkers and artists like Gordon Parks.”
Whether you love him or hate him,
Pecou’s work has garnered wide spread attention making him one of the
most talked about artist of his generation. The hyper - realistic
paintings will be the subject of his upcoming exhibit at MOCA. The exhibition is titled “Gravity” and features a collection of paintings
exploring the idea
of sagging pants and the consequences caused by wearing them.
He challenges the reaction of a society that ostracizes young men that embrace
the style of dress who, often times, have the desire to shed the
limitations caused by their fashion choices. His work presents viewers
with the question ‘Is what we perceive on the outside any indication of
what is percolating underneath the armor of street wear?’ Pecou says
the machismo in his art signifies a deeper emotional fracture.
Norman Timbs Special, 1947
on display at the High Museum of Art
“It’s definitely my alter ego. Portrayals of bravado are clearly not real - it’s a façade,” Pecou says. “All the bravado we see in Black male culture comes from insecurity and instability. Because they are self-portraits and you can see the cracks.”
Fully aware of the dissonance between the real him and the man in his work, Pecou continues to paint with the intention of causing a stir. His work mirrors the dehumanization of Black men in popular media, by portraying himself as 10 ft tall, when, in reality, he is average height.
“It’s over the top enough to see it’s not real. It’s done to be unsettling and jarring. It draws attention to the way hyper-masculinity is being modeled.” Pecou says. “I’m interested in dialogue and conversation and fostering new dialogue around representations of Black masculinity.”
The irony of Pecou’s work is that is heavily influenced by hip hop, a genre that promotes hyper
masculine behavior. Pecou who is from Brooklyn is fan of the music and he says it would be misleading not to represent such a major influence in his work. The presence of hip-hop culture in his paintings attracts the coveted demographic of young, urban, Black Americans into art galleries. As a result, Pecou straddles both worlds acting as he navigates the ongoing conversations about Black men in art and media. The influential artist is now considered a gatekeeper to the art world for Black Americans opening doors in a space traditionally patronized by a predominantly white crowd.
Edsel Ford Model 40 Special Speedster, 1934
on display at The High Museum of Art
“We’ve been left out of the conversation, I’m not sure if it’s intentional or that they never had to include us or they don’t know how. I ask myself how do I give an invitation to young Black men to come and see my work," Pecou say. "Being an artist is like having super powers you have the capacity to move and change people. If I didn’t create spaces for the world to come together and think critically I would be doing a disservice. I don’t have to tell people what to think, but I can say…. think.”