Kehinde Wiley: An Archeology of Silence

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In this new body of work, Wiley highlights the brutality of the colonial, American and global past, using the figurative language of the fallen hero. The exhibition will include a series of unpublished monumental paintings and sculptures, both familiar iconic elements in Wiley's oeuvre.

We live in a digital age where we constantly come across images of young blacks killed, slaughtered, on the streets around the world. Technology allows us to witness these atrocities that were once unspoken. Wiley states, "This is the archeology that I am unearthing: the specter of police violence and state control over the bodies of young blacks around the world." As an American artist, the starting point of Wiley's artistic reflection was the merciless and useless deaths in his country of origin but it becomes an incisive metaphor for a global reality. The new portraits show young black men and women in positions of vulnerability telling a story of survival and resilience, revealing the beauty that can emerge from tragedy.

The exhibition is curated by Christophe Leribault, President of the Musée d'Orsay and the Musée de l'Orangerie, who previously curated Wiley's first exhibition in France at the Petit Palais in 2016 Kehinde Wiley: Lamentation. Art historian specializing in the 19th century, Leribault has a deep connection with the historical-artistic basis of Wiley's work.