Visual Art

Camelot Study, 2018
48 x 90 inches
Acrylic, charcoal, oil pastel and foil on newspaper mounted on canvas

BAM Visual Art is pleased to present Camelot Study, a new painting in a ongoing series by Derek Fordjour that pays tribute to an iconic figure––the drum major. Fordjour’s interpretation lends contemporary swagger to a familiar archetype of Americana and draws inspiration from historically black colleges and universities. Depicting a regal African-American drum major rendered in pigment and newspaper, the artist contemplates a crisis of leadership in our current political moment through a character who commands the trust of other band members, runs drills and practice sessions, and maintains morale. As a symbol that is both nostalgic and forward-looking, Fordjour’s Camelot Study reflects the tendency in African-American culture to bend a common phenomenon into something unique.