Artist Talk: Derek Fordjour in Conversation with Cecilia Alemani

Join us for an in-depth conversation between artist Derek Fordjour and Cecilia Alemani, Donald R. Mullen, Jr. Director & Chief Curator of High Line Art, as they discuss Fordjour’s two High Line Commissions, Backbreaker Double, located adjacent to the High Line at 22nd Street, and Archetypes I, II, and III, situated on the park between 25th and 26th Streets.

For the High Line, Fordjour presents Backbreaker Double, a new monumental mural adjacent to the park at 22nd Street. The work depicts two Black marching band drum majors performing the “drum major backbend.” This iconic salute is an athletic, acrobatic stunt in which the drum major bends all the way backward, so that their shako nearly grazes the ground. The gesture is a recurring motif in Fordjour’s work, embodying the pride and ritual rooted in the traditions of historically Black colleges and universities. The drum major, commanding and magnetic, personifies both extreme effort and quintessential Black showmanship. On the High Line, the vibrant background and the figures’ matching red and white uniforms radiate unity and jubilation. Their contorted bodies, teetering on the edge of physical possibility, also highlight the tension between performative glamour and backbreaking labor. The title, Backbreaker Double, suggests both the physical form and psychological strain of expectation and hypervisibility.

In addition to his mural, Fordjour presents Archetypes I, II, and III, three painted bronze sculptures depicting Black figures—a boxer, a waiter, and a burlesque dancer. These works showcase individual athletes, workers, and performers shaped by distinct yet interconnected entertainment and service economies. In the absence of generational wealth, Fordjour memorializes the historic practice of utilizing one’s own body for social advancement. More than the specific professions, the associations with each role become interchangeable. How does a black waiter entertain? Who does a black performer serve? All three occupy roles that vacillate between empowerment and exploitation, while remaining deeply entangled with systems of commerce, consumption, and control.

Derek Fordjour’s practice spans painting, sculpture, installation, and performance to explore the intertwined histories of power, labor, representation, and the Black experience. Best known for his vibrant paintings layered with everyday materials such as cardboard, newspaper, aluminum foil, and glitter, Fordjour pockmarks and reveals textured surfaces that embody material history and repurpose practices. Through this collage-based process, he constructs exuberant yet introspective scenes often populated by athletes, musicians, and other performers, archetypes of spectacle and commerce. Figures are often depicted mid-action, highlighting both the vitality and vulnerability of the human form. Fordjour places these figures within lively scenes where their interactions, gestures, and spatial relationships underscore his exploration of race and systemic inequity, juxtaposing individual achievement against the broader structural challenges historically faced by Black individuals and communities. His work moves between celebration and critique, evoking emotions that range from joy to melancholy, where effortless grace and visible exertion coexist and reveal the tension between personal striving and collective expectation.

In the case of inclement weather, this event will be relocated to the 14th Street Passage.

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