June 14th 2024.
Renowned artist Kehinde Wiley has recently been facing disturbing allegations of sexual assault and abuse from multiple men. In response, the Los Angeles-born, New York-based artist, known for his iconic portrait of former President Barack Obama, took to Instagram to set the record straight. He shared detailed timelines and screenshots of private messages exchanged between himself and two of the four men who have accused him.
One of the accusers, Ghanaian artist Joseph Awuah-Darko, was the first to come forward with allegations. He claimed that Wiley had sexually assaulted him twice in 2021. Wiley shared a screenshot of a post that Awuah-Darko had written on Instagram after their first meeting in Ghana in June 2021. Other images showed missed calls from Awuah-Darko after what Wiley described as a consensual encounter following a night of flirting. Wiley also shared screenshots of friendly and flirty messages from Awuah-Darko, which he claimed marked the beginning of years of aggressive pursuit from the accuser.
In another screenshot, Awuah-Darko agreed to travel from London to Nigeria for Wiley's birthday party in February 2022, a year after their first encounter. Wiley also shared that Awuah-Darko had repeatedly tried to visit him at his cabin in Upstate New York, which Wiley had ignored. He also shared screenshots of Awuah-Darko wishing him a happy birthday and mentioning him on his Instagram Story multiple times.
Wiley called out Awuah-Darko for allegedly deleting thousands of Instagram posts that did not fit his narrative, including a post celebrating their friendship. A second accuser, activist Derrick Ingram, also came forward with allegations of rape during a four-month relationship between July and October 2021. However, Wiley denies these claims and believes they are part of a smear campaign launched by Awuah-Darko.
Wiley shared screenshots of texts from Ingram after their encounter, where he praised the artist and expressed a desire to see him again. Wiley believes that these men are making false accusations in an attempt to destroy his brand and image. He expressed concern about the dangerous and damaging impact of false social media posts and online trials without regard for the truth.
Since then, two more men have come forward with claims against Wiley. One of them is UK-based author and curator Nathaniel Lloyd Richards, who accuses the artist of inappropriate touching and groping during a date in 2019. Both Awuah-Darko and Ingram plan to sue Wiley. Despite these claims, many have shown their support for the artist in the comments, with some even accusing Awuah-Darko of lying based on their personal interactions with him at Wiley's birthday party.
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