Fahamu Pecou (b. 1975) is an American painter based in Atlanta, Georgia whose intention is to comment on contemporary and hip-hop culture while simultaneously subverting it to include his ideas on fine art.
In 2005, along with several of Atlanta's premier contemporary artists, Pecou created history at Atlanta's High Museum of Art as a part of the exhibition Arts Beats + Lyrics. Since 2005 Fahamu has been featured in several solo and group exhibitions in the U.S. and abroad. His work has been reviewed and featured in numerous publications including Art In America, Harper's Magazine, NY Arts Magazine, Mass Appeal Magazine, The Fader Magazine, Atlanta Peach Magazine, NY Arts Magazine and on the cover of Artlies Magazine. In 2008 Pecou was awarded a residency at the Caversham Centre in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa, additionally, Pecou's work was included in "DEFINITION: The Art and Design of Hip Hop", an anthology chronicling the impact of hip-hop on visual culture, written by famed graffiti artist and designer Cey Adams. A winner of the 2009 ARTADIA award, Fahamu was also featured in two international solo exhibitions; the first in Cape Town, South Africa and a second during Art Basel in Basel Switzerland. Pecou was selected as the first-ever Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture Resident at The McColl Center for Visual Art in Charlotte, N.C. in 2010.
In 2011 Pecou presented his first solo exhibition in Paris, France. Additionally Atlanta's NBAF (National Black Arts Festival) awarded Pecou the Emerging Artist Award during their inaugural Interpretations: Black Visual Art – Past, Present and Future award ceremony alongside master artists; Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Samella Lewis, Betye Saar, Richard Mayhew, Thornton Dial and David Driskell. Pecou's works were also featured in two seminal volumes; 5 Cities/41 Artists: Artadia O8/09 (Published by ARTADIA, 2011) and NOPLACENESS: Art in a Post-Urban Landscape (Published by Possible Futures, 2011)
Pecou maintains an active exhibition schedule as well as public lectures and speaking engagements at colleges and museums nationwide. Currently his work addresses concerns around representations of black masculinity and how these images come to define black men across generations and geographical boundaries.