Kehinde Wiley at The Studio Museum
(photo - Kehinde Wiley, Rubin Singleton, 2008, Courtesy artist and Deitch Projects)
Last night the Studio Museum in Harlem unveiled " Kehinde Wiley - The World Stage Africa, Lagos ~ Dakar.The World Stage: Africa, Lagos ~ Dakar is Kehinde Wiley’s (b. 1977) first solo exhibition at The Studio Museum in Harlem and it's hot!!!!!!!!!
The exhibition features ten new paintings from his “The World Stage” series. Kehinde is known for his highly stylized paintings of young, urban African-American men in poses borrowed from eighteenth- and nineteenth-century European figurative paintings, a practice he started in the early 2000s while an artist in residence uptown at the Studio Museum. He (Wiley) has expanded his project by living and working abroad; he temporarily relocates to different countries and opens satellite studios to become familiar with local culture, history and art. His “The World Stage” series is the result of these travels.
This was no ordinary stuffy museum opening though. The crowd was a who's who of the New York art scene with a particular focus on the prominent African-American collectors, educators, artists and patrons. The was a open bar, DJ Rich Medina spinnin every FFFFing hit of the past 30 years that you wanted to hear and sexy, smart, well dressed black people everywhere!!!!!!!!! Oh this joint was off da chain last night!
I met up with my girl (and fellow artist) Stacy Lynn Wadell. I also ran into another artist whose work I love and have gotten to know a lil bit named Wardell Milan II. On top of being a very talented artist, Wardell was recently featured in Bleu Magazine and is a former artist in residence at the museum.
Speaking of artists in residence while you're at the museum check out NEW INTUITIONS
LESLIE HEWITT, TANEA RICHARDSON AND SAYA WOOLFALK ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE 2007–08. It's an exhibit of the work of the three current artists in residence at the museum.
All in all it was a great night. Art is not just some elitist interest for rich people anymore. It's vibrant, it's exciting, it's sexy and it's fun. The Studio Museum is celebrating it's 40th Anniversary and is one of the most important art institutions in the country. It's located at 144 West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell and Malcolm X (aka Lenox Ave). You have to check it out and their new weekly event Target FREE Sundays. Fellas what a great way to impress a date: lunch and a trip to the hippest museum in NYC. She (or he) will love it!
me and artist Wardell Milan II (peep my Murakami tee shirt)
my girl Stacy Lynn Waddell(she burns shit!!!!) and her artist homey whose name slips my mind