Contemporary: Kehinde Wiley
On Sunday I went together with some friends to the Brooklyn Museum to see the Kehinde Wiley exhibition titled “A New Republic“. And in case you haven’t gone yet – make sure you go it is a very impressive exhibition that still runs until the 24th of May ! Kehinde is half Nigerian and half Afro-American and is definitely an artist that has entered already the realm of the great artists of all times. But go and see for yourself!
He reworks and transforms Western art and portraits by replacing the central character with a black male subject. This is challenging the representation of black men as well as addressing the historic invisibility of black men and women. However, I must say as my only critic point, I really didn’t like the portraits of the women at all. Compared to the portraits of the men they lacked a bit of depth and just weren’t as enticing and engaging.
My absolute favorite were the stained glass windows – with black men in urban gear at the center surrounded by religious settings – as well as the sculptures, these just blew me away.
“Painting is about the world we live in. Black people live in the world. My choice is to include them. This is my way of saying yes to us”. Kehinde Wiley
Find out more:
i: https://instagram.com/kehindewiley/
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