Kehinde Wiley has a pretty good idea of why he is alive and what he was born to do. He wants the world to see them for who they really are: humans who deserve to be respected and understood. Wiley refuses to overlook these individuals. This is just another way he is displaying the humanness and intrinsic importance of people who are sometimes overlooked by society. Wiley turns mugshots into portraits that subtly broadcast a person’s vulnerabilities, fears and dreams. However, Kehinde Wiley sees them as something entirely different: a type of portraiture. Mugshots are not typically thought of as beautiful they are most commonly associated with shame and punishment. What my goal is, is to allow the world to see the humanity that I know personally to be the truth.” Kehinde Wiley Makes Mugshots Beautiful
Wiley says, “ I understand blackness from the inside out.
That’s why he’s pouring his blood, sweat and tears into transforming masterpiece paintings into works of art that feature individuals of black and brown skin tones. He believes artists should think about “ what they can do to start a broader conversation about presence and imminence and the desire to be seen as respected and beautiful.” According to Wiley, an artist’s role in society should be one that facilitates the redemption of the beauty of humanity, regardless of race. What is an artist’s role in society? Should artists primarily make things look better, prettier? Kehinde Wiley doesn’t think so. The made-over portrait places the black man in the same position of influence that Napoleon held. For example, Wiley reinterpreted Jacques-Louis David’s portrait of Napoleon crossing the Alps by replacing Napoleon with a camouflage-clad black man. It’s the ability to position your body in the world for the world to celebrate you on your own terms.” With stunning vulnerability and bravery, Wiley reworks classic paintings so that they include black and brown-skinned people as the main subjects. He told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, “ What is portraiture? It’s choice.
Wiley believes art-particularly portraiture-is power. How? By reinventing classic portraits in a way that honors black individuals. Artist Kehinde Wiley is restoring power and respect to humanity through art.
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