SEATTLE, WA.- The Seattle Art Museum presents Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic, showcasing the powerful and poignant work of one of America’s leading contemporary artists. Composed of approximately 60 works—including paintings, sculptures, videos, and stained glass windows—the exhibition provides an overview of Wiley’s prolific 14-year career, prominently featuring his signature figurative canvases of black men in which he ingeniously reworks the grand portraiture traditions of Western culture.
During a residency at the Studio Museum in Harlem in the early 2000s, Wiley found inspiration in the assertive and self-empowered young men of the neighborhood. He engaged subjects for portraits, asking them to pick a pose and dress themselves as they would like to be seen. Wiley then recast these photographic studies in the style of traditional history painting. Like the mashup or remix in hip hop, Wiley combined details from diverse sources—aristocratic portraits of 18th-century Europe, bucolic 19th-century wallpapers, electric contemporary colors, and the presence of his contemporary subjects—to present something provocatively new. This process allows him to reenter the established history and power structure, reaching back in time to imagine a different future – a new republic.
“Kehinde Wiley’s work is absolutely gorgeous and fascinating,” says Kimerly Rorschach, SAM’s Illsley Ball Nordstrom Director and CEO. “Moreover, it engages with timely issues in a very compelling way. The Brooklyn Museum has been a wonderful partner in organizing this exhibition, and I’m thrilled to bring these vibrant and necessary works to Seattle. Prepare to be wowed.”
Kehinde Wiley shows the artist’s progression as he began to work in various mediums and deepened his explorations of race, gender, sexual innuendo, and the politics of representation. The exhibition includes a selection from Wiley’s ongoing World Stage project, which he initiated in 2006 by establishing a satellite studio in Beijing followed by cities in other countries including Nigeria, Brazil, India, Israel, Jamaica, and Haiti. The series touches on the commonalities found across nations and cultures with a history of colonialism and diverse populations.
Several altarpieces from the Memling series also are on view. Reflecting the works of 15th-century Flemish painter Hans Memling, who depicted not royalty or clergy but rich, influential men from the merchant class, these paintings depict young black men in contemporary street styles (including neck tattoos), directly confronting the question of who owns the symbolic imagery of power. These works are smaller in scale, creating a direct and intimate experience with the viewer.
Wiley turned his attention to black women in his An Economy of Grace series, in which he employed his same process (street casting, photographic studies), but with a significant difference: rather than selecting from their own clothes, the women were adorned in gowns inspired by Old Master paintings but reimagined by Givenchy’s Ricardo Tisci in a close collaboration with the artist. The process was documented in a video, which will be on view. The resulting glamorous images touch on the importance of adornment, the possibilities of transformation, and the shifting meanings of the black body in representation.
Also included in the exhibition will be an installation showcasing Wiley’s stained glass pieces. Inspiring contemplation and reverence, stained glass is also an atmospheric visual reminder of the church’s power. His contemporary subjects become heroes, saints, and martyrs—a lyrical and awe-inspiring summation of the artist’s explorations of power and transformation Originally from Los Angeles, Wiley was influenced by the city’s theatricality and by visits to the Old Master-filled Huntington Art Collections. At twelve, he visited Russia on an arts fellowship. He honed his artistic craft earning his MFA at Yale in the 1990s, where he was steeped in the current discussions concerning identity politics. He brings these varied experiences to the multifaceted, layered processes and themes of his work.
“These works are incredibly commanding – they bowl you over with their fabulousness and beauty,” says Catharina Manchanda, SAM’s Jon & Mary Shirley Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art. “They’re also deeply relevant; if this show had taken place six or seven years ago, it might have registered differently. But there is so much possibility in this moment. It’s my hope that this exhibition will not just engage viewers in an important conversation, but actually create a galvanizing experience that will last long after they leave the galleries.”
