Native Tongue/Ogbe Oyeku

Title

Native Tongue/Ogbe Oyeku

Date

2015

References

https://glamportal.auctr.edu/items/show/3418

Description

Painting

Abstract

Influenced by West African cultures, Fahamu Pecou’s works offer a critique on the contemporary topics of celebrity, media, and racism. Dr. Sean Meighoo coined the term “‘Fahamenology’ of performance,” describing the way Pecou’s works undo oppressive cultural structures of experience and consciousness, attempting a liberation of today’s marked male subject. Specifically, Native Tongue/Ogbe Oyeku depicts the artist himself, wearing a backwards Dan mask and sagging denim jeans, both politicized fashion statements. Both provocateur and griot, Pecou asserts his marked embodiment visible, inviting the viewer to contemplate the cross-cultural implications of ritual/resistance and life/death.

Medium

Acrylic and gold leaf on canvas

Creator

Fahamu Pecou

Rights

Clark Atlanta University Art Museum