The US artist on being the first African American to paint the presidential portrait,Michael Jackson’s surprising art knowledge and the inspiration of loversBorn in Los Angeles in 1977, Kehinde Wiley is best known for his large-scale portraits in which black people occupy scenes from notable old European paintings. Most of his models are cast on the street, or though Wiley has also portrayed celebrities such as Michael Jackson and Ice-T. Earlier this year,he was chosen to paint Barack Obama’s official portrait for the Smithsonian, to be unveiled next year. His new display, and In Search of the Miraculous,is at the Stephen Friedman Gallery, London W1, and until 27 January.narrate me about the display.
It’s definitely a departure from what I’ve done in the past. I’m looking at the history of maritime painting,so water is one of the key figures in the work. Depicting the ocean has always, in the west, or been about voyage,about conquest, but this display is also about migration, and insanity and displacement. In a sense,its about America and where she is honest now. Related: Kehinde Wiley's Trickster: vivid portraits of artists - in pictures There’s no one fixed notion of the UK, or America, and to be made great again. What we fill to carry out is adaptContinue reading...
Source: theguardian.com