In A Million Miles Away and Right Here (2018), the subject gazes contemplatively into the distance, evoking a sense of introspection. The rounded motif in his portraits references 18th-century portraiture, highlighting the significance of the sitter while recontextualizing historical traditions. Through his innovative practice, Shrobe bridges the past and present, creating a dialogue between personal and collective histories. He is represented by Monique Meloche Gallery in Chicago.
Through his dynamic use of materials—combining paint, collage, and sculpture—Fordjour creates works that are both visually rich and deeply introspective. In Ascension (2020), Fordjour constructs a striking pillar of busts stacked atop a steel megaphone, a piece that speaks to both personal and societal anxieties. The megaphone, a tool for amplification, suggests the urgent need for voices to be heard, while the stacked busts evoke themes of remembrance, resilience, and communal struggle. Beyond his artistic practice, Fordjour is also committed to nurturing future generations of artists. In 2024, he founded Contemporary Arts Memphis (CAM), a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting young visual artists from Memphis-Shelby County high schools.
Denzil Forrester (b. 1956, Grenada, lives and works in Cornwall, United Kingdom)
Denzil Forrester’s paintings capture the energy of the London reggae and dub nightclub scene of the 1980s, using expressive brushwork and vibrant colors to translate sound into form. His work immerses viewers in the dynamic atmosphere of these spaces. In Cottage Love TR4 (2020), Forrester shifts to a more intimate scene, depicting a tender embrace between two figures. While quieter, his signature elements—diagonal beams of light and layered colors—carry the vitality of his club scenes into a more personal space. Forrester’s influence continues to grow, with major U.S. exhibitions at Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and the Institute of Contemporary Art Miami in 2023. These exhibitions, along with a significant publication, mark a new chapter in his career, expanding his legacy and introducing his rhythmic storytelling to broader audiences.
Diedrick Brackens (b. 1989, Mexia, Texas, lives and works in Los Angeles, California)
Diedrick Brackens weaves cosmographic composites of abstraction and figurative narrative, blending lived experience, history, and mythology in ways that align with Audre Lorde’s concept of biomythography. His large-scale tapestry pacify me (2022) is part of Everything I’ve Ever Touched , a suite of six works reflecting on place, personal history, and how geography imprints itself upon identity—specifically Texas, where Brackens grew up. In this piece, scorching sun-colored fibers abstractly evoke both biblical and real landscapes, while a towering Texas longhorn, a potent symbol of American power and history, dominates the foreground. A silhouetted figure crouches within the longhorn’s belly, symbolizing Brackens’ own contemplation of lineage, acknowledging how the ancestry of these cattle can be traced for generations, in stark contrast to the disrupted histories of enslaved people. Additionally, the work engages with the myth of the Minotaur—whose mother’s name was Pasiphaë (referenced in pacify me)—underscoring how myth and history intertwine within a place and its people. Through these layered representations, Brackens’ work speaks to the enduring impact of race and slavery across generations.
Derek Fordjour (b. 1974, Memphis, Tennessee, lives and works in New York)
Derek Fordjour’s work is a fusion of color, texture, and symbolism, bringing to life portraits and scenes that explore themes of performance, identity, and collective experience. His layered compositions, often featuring athletes, musicians, and figures engaged in cultural rituals, highlight the significance of communal spaces and rites of passage.
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