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
For years, I've been painting black men as a way to respond to the reality of the streets. I've asked black men to show up in my studio in the clothes that they want to be wearing. And often times, those clothes would be the same trappings people would see on television and find menacing.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Kehinde Wiley emphasizes the importance of portraying black men authentically, challenging societal stereotypes.
In this quote, Kehinde Wiley discusses his artistic journey of depicting black men in a way that reflects their reality and identity. He invites them to his studio dressed as they wish, countering the negative and menacing portrayals often seen in mainstream media. Wiley's work seeks to reclaim the narrative surrounding black masculinity and to celebrate the individuality of his subjects.
Themes
ArtIdentityRepresentationStereotypesBlack Men
In practice
Example use cases
In a panel discussion on modern art, one could cite this quote to highlight the significance of representation.
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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