Mob rule may be bringing down many controversial statues across the United States, however, the same mob seems delighted by a new statue in the old capital of the Confederacy, Richmond. The viewer should be equally offended and insulted by this latest addition to the city’s public space, yet the unveiling of this statue this month became a cultural spectacle with brass bands and throngs of politicians paying homage to this “work of art.” The statue was produced by the African-American artist, Kehinde Wiley who has achieved “rock star” status in the world of contemporary art. Obama chose Wiley to paint his official presidential portrait which now is part of the Smithsonian’s gallery of presidential portraits. (Wiley’s flat portraits are usually designed as wall decorations and give no insight into the sitter’s character, soul, or humanity—Wiley typically depicts the sitter as part of the painting’s background—for example, Obama’s legs are partly covered by the background greenery). https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_NPG.2018.16
Wiley’s modus-operandi is to take an iconic image of an European aristocrat or Napoleonic dictator and Photoshop a modern African-American into the historic painting. We should note that Wiley selects historic paintings which were never designed as portraits, but rather works of propaganda where the true subject is intimidation, power, or the timeless permanence of a royal family member—and Wiley never challenges the underlying message of these works. Wiley correctly complains that popular culture in America has “devalued and subjugated the black body,” but Wiley adds to the problem, trivializing the body and eliminating the soul.
