After an artist accused artist Kehinde Wiley of sexual assault on Sunday, Wiley posted on her Instagram account, “Someone I had a brief consensual relationship with almost 3 years ago is now sexually assaulting me.” denied. “These are false accusations about our time together.”
“These claims are untrue and an insult to all victims of sexual abuse,” Mr. Wiley added.
Born in Los Angeles, Mr. Wiley is one of America's best-known painters, best known for his 2018 portrait of President Barack Obama.
On Sunday, British-born Ghanaian artist and founder of the Noldor Artist Residency in Ghana, Joseph Awuah-Darko, said in a lengthy Instagram post that Mr. Wiley had dinner on June 9, 2021. He said he assaulted her twice, during and after the meal. Held in Ghana to honor a famous artist. In the first incident, Mr Audarko said he was escorting Mr Wiley to the bathroom when the star suddenly grabbed his buttocks.
Later that evening, Mr Awuah-Darko said a second assault occurred which was “much more serious and violent”. Mr. Awuah-Darko did not provide further details about the incident on Instagram, but in a phone interview he said the sexual encounter began as consensual but then moved to the bedroom where Mr. Wiley forced him to have sex. to Mr. Awuah-Darko after he said he no longer wanted to go.
Mr. Awuah-Darko showed the New York Times a text exchange he had with Mr. Wiley after the meeting. Here he repeatedly told Mr. Wiley that he missed him and that he wanted to see them again. Ms. Awuah-Darko said she initially convinced herself that her meeting with Mr. Wiley had been lovely. It was not until the fall of 2023, after receiving treatment, that he admitted to himself that the incident had been an assault and told his friend what had happened.
“I know I am not a perfect sexual assault victim,” said Awuah-Darko. But this happened to me. “I hope others will come forward too.”
In an emailed statement, Ms. Wiley said Ms. Awuah-Darko “has tried to be a part of my life since we met. He flew to Nigeria to attend my birthday party, tried to visit my home in upstate New York, sent me warm and heartwarming text messages, and posted me on Instagram while attending my exhibition at the de Young Museum in San Francisco almost a year ago. I posted the following: His ‘dear friend’s’ show was ‘Beautiful.’”
On Sunday, Mr. Wiley's lawyers sent Mr. Awuah-Darko a cease-and-desist letter shared with The Times, demanding that the Ghanaian artist delete his Instagram posts and stop making false statements about Mr. Wiley. Mr Awuah-Darko said on Sunday he had never seen the letter.
No criminal charges have been filed against Mr. Wiley. Mr Awuah-Darko said the accusations would not be handled well in Ghana. Congress passed a bill in February imposing prison sentences on people who identify as LGBTQ or organize pro-gay groups.