Derek Walker (b. 2001) is a visual artist from Cleveland, Ohio. Walker creates Afrofuturist paintings that merge science fiction with motifs and references drawn from his cultural experience. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from the Cleveland Institute of Art. His work has been exhibited in the 2021 AXA Art Prize at the Wilkinson Gallery in New York City, NY and at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland, OH. His awards include the 75th annual Student Independent Exhibition Board Grand Prize at Cleveland Institute of Art.
Walker creates paintings that offer a glimpse into the future searching for signals of technological harmony and liberation. Through the use of oil, mixed media, texture, and composition, he depicts transmissions of figures within an equitable future intertwined with elements of science fiction, internet references, African American culture, and a nod to post impressionism. These works aim to recontextualize present-day constructs while envisioning a time ahead where freedom can range from the mundane to the extraordinary.