Kehinde Wiley: appropriation, representation and religious iconography

Kehinde Wiley appropriates religious and political imagery in his colourful paintings of African Americans. By presenting them in the poses of saints, kings and emperors, he asks us to question the history of art and the sorts of bodies that have been celebrated in the past.

Cultural critic Touré describes Wiley’s oeuvre as an “attempt to rehabilitate black images”—in the media (especially before the presidency of Barack Obama), often simplistically skewed toward hip-hop music videos and newsreels of urban gang violence—“by putting them in the context of nobility, of import, of beauty”.

And although it helps us to understand his work if we have the context, his bright colours, patterned backgrounds and carefully observed portrait skills make his work engaging on a direct level.

Click here for a great essay on his work - https://artandtheology.org/2016/08/31/christian-themed-portraits-by-kehinde-wiley/