Blue Horn

2017

Blue Horn depicts a cheerleader turned away from the viewer, her pep and her uniform seemingly out of place against the jungle-like backdrop and checkered pink-and-teal floor. The dreamlike feel of the painting is underscored by the tactile and delicate surface—achieved through the buildup and breakdown of newspapers and cardboard—creating a further sense of distance between viewer and subject. By reconsidering the spectacle and nostalgia of sporting events in his work, Derek Fordjour questions the visibility of gendered and racialized bodies in one of the country’s most celebrated pastimes.