There's something really cool about taking oily coloured paste and pushing it around with these hairy sticks and making something that looks like you. That's the magic of painting.
Kehinde WileyRead
Branding says a lot about luxury and about exclusion and about the choices that manufacturers make, but I think that what society does with it after it's produced is something else. And the African-American community has always been expert at taking things and repurposing them toward their own ends.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Branding reflects luxury and exclusivity, but its interpretation and use by society, particularly by the African-American community, can shift its meaning.
In this quote, Kehinde Wiley emphasizes the dual role of branding in society; while it signifies luxury and the exclusiveness of certain products, the way different communities, particularly the African-American community, engage with and repurpose these brands can redefine their significance. This reflects a broader commentary on consumer culture, identity, and the transformative power of creativity and cultural agency.
Themes
BrandingLuxuryExclusionCommunityRepurposing
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on consumer culture at a conference, this quote can be used to highlight the unique adaptability of communities.
More from Kehinde Wiley
All quotes →This idea that my work is about hip-hop is a little reductive. What I'm interested in is the performance of masculinity, the performance of ethnicity, and how they intermingle across cultures.
Kehinde WileyRead
What is portraiture? It's choice. It's the ability to position your body in the world for the world to celebrate you on your own terms.
Kehinde WileyRead
The ability to be the first African-American painter to paint the first African-American president of the United States is absolutely overwhelming. It doesn't get any better than that.
Kehinde WileyRead
Painting is about the world that we live in. Black men live in the world. My choice is to include them.
Kehinde WileyRead
What I try to do is defy expectations in terms of boundaries, whether it is high or low art, pop culture, or fine-art culture. My work is about reconciling myriad cultural influences and bringing them into one picture.
Kehinde WileyRead
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