American artist Kehinde Wiley has been accused of sexual assault by Joseph Awuah-Darko, a Ghana-based artist.
In an Instagram post published on Sunday, Joseph Awuah-Darko claimed that Wiley had sexually accused him twice a few years prior. The event occurred on June 9, 2021, at a dinner party hosted at the Noldor Art Residency. Awuah-Darko claimed that Kehinde Wiley first inappropriately groped him, followed by a “much more severe and violent” assault the same night. He wrote: “On 9th June 2021 – I was sexually assaulted by @kehindewiley. It almost destroyed me. I hope my words and opennness about my painful experience empower others to come forward. I hope all that unravels creates a path towards not only accountability but recompense and collective healing for other victims.”
Awuah-Darko also explained that he took this long to share the story due to Wiley’s gay identity and the prevalent anti-LGBT+ sentiment in Ghana. He added that he is seeking legal action and hopes this “will empower other victims to do the same.” It must not be thought that the accusation came out of the blue, either. In March, Awuah-Darko posted about experiencing sexual assault from “someone who outranks me”, without naming anyone.
Kehinde Wiley, in his own post, denied the allegations and added that the relationship with Awuah-Darko was consensual. He said: “Someone I had a brief, consensual relationship with is now making false, disturbing, and defamatory accusations about our time together. These claims are deeply hurtful to me, and I will pursue all legal options to bring the truth to light and clear my name.” Responding to this, Joseph Awuah-Darko said that their consensual relationship did not contradict the fact that one could sexually assault another.
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It must be noted that the family of Joseph Awuah-Darko, who is British-born, is one of the wealthiest in Ghana. Kehinde Wiley is a New York-based artist most well known for his commissioned portrait of former president Barack Obama.
