Obama’s Official Portraitist Kehinde Wiley Reveals Secret Project
Renowned artist Kehinde Wiley, celebrated for his iconic official portrait of former US President Barack Obama, has revealed a decade-long secret project centred around painting African heads of state in his distinct artistic style.
Wiley’s latest collection, “A Maze of Power,” which features 11 portraits, marks his odyssey across the African continent, crafting representations of current and former leaders. The series, produced in collaboration with Galerie Templon, is showcased at the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac in Paris, France. The exhibition, meticulously kept confidential until its unveiling, offers a striking display of power and identity, reframing how African leaders are depicted.
The idea for this collection began with the election of President Obama in 2008, revealed Sarah Ligner, the head of the museum’s historical and contemporary globalization collection. Wiley was inspired to explore notions of power and representation, prompting a visual dialogue through portraiture.
These portraits, reminiscent of 17th to 19th-century European paintings, provide a reflection on 21st-century power dynamics using artistic language from a historical context. Wiley challenges the influence of empire on African art while embracing the aesthetics of the past to create something entirely new.
Wiley embarked on his artistic journey to Rwanda, Nigeria, Ghana, and other African nations to photograph the leaders, subsequently painting them in his studio. Each head of state had the liberty to dress as they saw fit, provided with a binder of portraits from bygone eras, representing a “vocabulary of power” that they could either adopt or disregard in their portraits.
The portraits capture various elements of power and identity. From Hery Rajaonarimampianina riding a horse, emphasizing power and leadership, to Sahle-Work Zewde, Ethiopia’s president, reflecting on her nation’s capital, the art pieces encompass a myriad of narratives. Although some leaders brought props, the artistic backgrounds remained Wiley’s creation, forming a creative interplay between reality and imagination.
The exhibition’s title, “A Maze of Power,” embodies the negotiation between Wiley, the artist, and the sitters, as they dictate how they wish to be depicted. The portraits, however, deliberately refrain from delving into political matters, emphasizing the exploration of presidency itself rather than individual leaders’ personal or moral standings.
Ligner highlights the multidimensionality of the series, encouraging viewers to challenge preconceptions and stereotypes, much like how Andy Warhol’s portrayals of Chairman Mao in the 1970s sparked inquiry into the semiotics of portraiture.
Wiley’s exhibition offers a profound invitation to expand the understanding of art in Africa. It underlines a critical observation of power, representation, and the presidency, compelling viewers to explore the diverse perspectives and possibilities that African art embodies.
The Maze of Power exhibition, which runs until January 14, beckons both the subjects and the public to ponder the nuanced expression of power as manifested by Wiley’s brushstrokes. Wiley’s paintings prompt a unique exploration of portraiture that challenges traditional portrayals of leadership and power on the African continent.
[IMAGE – Portrait of Olusegun Obasanjo, Former President of Nigeria” (2023) and “Portrait of Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda” (2023) by Kehinde Wiley, on display in Paris | Tanguy Beurdeley/© Courtesy Kehinde Wiley and Galerie Templon]
