The Kehinde Wiley show opened last night to a packed house at Roberts & Tilton in the Culver City Art District. This show focused on the third segment of his “World Stage” project where Wiley immerses himself in the culture of a country by taking residence there and “street-casting” it’s inhabitants. In his signature style, Wiley asked the young people of Rio de Janeiro in their everyday clothes to assume poses found in sculptures that lined the streets and parks of the city. He then painted them with a Western style portraiture technique against a backdrop of indigenous textiles and flowers.
These impressive paintings must be seen in person to really appreciate the scale, vibrant colors, and confrontational gazes of the subjects in the paintings exploring ideas of power and sociopolitical themes. Just as he revealed in his lecture and slideshow at the Getty Center last Thursday, it would be nice to see the photo references for these paintings at a later time – perhaps in a book.
Check out all the photos after the jump.
Neil Patrick Harris
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- Neil Patrick Harris
