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Quote by Kehinde Wiley

“I actually studied cooking and, like, was thinking about becoming a chef.”

Quote by Kehinde Wiley

Author

Kehinde Wiley is a renowned contemporary painter known for his modern interpretations of traditional portraiture. His works typically depict portraits of African Americans, Latinos, and other minorities, blending elements of history, culture, and pop culture. Born in 1977, Wiley's work has had a profound impact on the art world. more

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“Just so [becoming a chef ] that I could support my art habit. You know? I mean, this is - this is something where you've been literally given an opportunity to put the world on pause for a second.”

Knows World Mean Art Opportunity Given Support Becoming Habit Chef Pauses

Author:Kehinde Wiley

“Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces, essential components. You have to - you know, at this point I'm so used to operating within given assumptions about art. But when you're explaining art to art students or people who are new to this experience, you have to really go back to the fundamentals.”

People Knows Art Age Young Used Given Break Pieces Teaching Students Essentials Fundamentals Assumption Bites Components Explaining Teaching Art Art Students

Author:Kehinde Wiley

“In the Studio Museum in Harlem, when I was dealing with that community and dealing with my peers in the streets, it allowed for me to get outside of Yale, to get outside of art-speak, and to really think about art as a material practice that has very useful and pragmatic material precedent.”

Thinking Art Speak Community Practice Streets Materials Studios Museums Peers Pragmatic Precedent Yale Harlem

Author:Kehinde Wiley

“I think that gave rise to the type of practice that I - that I do now. I think it was informed by a very Marxist almost "use-value"-driven investigation of painting as agent. These are high-priced luxury goods for wealthy consumers, which are designed to deliver certain communicative effects.”

Thinking Use Certain Values Practice Effects Painting Type Driven Agents Luxury Consumers Goods Wealthy Investigation Marxist Luxury Goods

Author:Kehinde Wiley

“All the world's a stage. P.T. Barnum: It becomes a circus. But circuses or street pageants or parades have always been useful in a society.They've always been useful as a way of critiquing power. The carnivalesque has always been useful as a way of the powerful being mocked in a public space.”

World Way Space Powerful Streets Stage Circus Parades Pageant

Author:Kehinde Wiley

“I think what we should concentrate on is what it feels like to be a working artist in the day to day. One doesn't imagine what comes down the line.”

Thinking Feels Should Artist Lines Imagine Day To Day

Author:Kehinde Wiley

“I would imagine that what you try to do is to - is to be as sensitive to the environment that surrounds you as possible. As you see, my work has become increasingly global. My presence in the world has become increasingly global.”

World Trying Environment Imagine Sensitive Surround Imagine That

Author:Kehinde Wiley

“What's great about it is that painting doesn't move. And so in the 21st century, when we're used to clicking and browsing and having constant choice, painting simply sits there silently and begs you to notice the smallest of detail.”

Moving Used Choices Century Painting Constant Details Smallest 21st Century Browsing

Author:Kehinde Wiley

“That's what I think my job in the world has been, is to sort of try to sit silently a bit and watch it all sort of move and see those small, quiet details, whether it be a small village outside of Colombo [country?] or the favelas of Brazil, where, again, resistance culture is something that you hear resonating in the streets of South Central Los Angeles as well.”

Thinking World Trying Wells Has Beens Country Jobs Moving Culture Bits Watches Streets Quiet South Details Resistance Los Angeles Village Brazil Resonating Small Villages Favelas

Author:Kehinde Wiley

“How does the artist function as poet-slash-witness-slash-trickster?”

Doe Artist Poet Function Witness Tricksters

Author:Kehinde Wiley