Kehinde Wiley’s draws from a range of art historical and vernacular styles in his compositions; from the French Rococo to the contemporary urban street. Wiley collapses history and style into a uniquely contemporary vision. He describes his approach as “interrogating the notion of the master painter, at once critical and complicit.” He makes figurative paintings that “quote historical sources and position young black men within that field of ‘power.'” His “slightly heroic” figures, sometimes larger than life size, are depicted in poses of power and spiritual awakening. He deliberately mixes images of power and spirituality, using them as a filter in the portrayal of masculinity. After receiving his MFA from Yale in 2001, Wiley began exhibiting at Deitch Projects in New York, Rhona Hoffman Gallery in Chicago, and Roberts & Tilton in Los Angeles. His most recent exhibitions include Passing / Posing at the Brooklyn Museum in New York; Columbus, at the Columbus Museum, OH; Scenic, at Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Chicago, IL; and The World Stage: China, at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, WI.
