Kehinde Wiley Denies Sexual Assault Allegations, Minneapolis Museum Cancels Exhibition

Kehinde Wiley has firmly rejected the sexual assault claims made by Joseph Awuah-Darko, a British-born Ghanaian artist. These allegations arise from two incidents during a dinner in 2021, organized by Ghana's Creative Art Council at the Noldor Artist Residency in Wiley's honor. Awuah-Darko recounted the events in an Instagram post, detailing an initial inappropriate groping followed by a more severe assault. He later elaborated to the New York Times, alleging that a consensual encounter escalated violently when Wiley disregarded his reluctance. In his Instagram response, Wiley labeled the accusations as false, stemming from a brief consensual relationship nearly three years prior, and criticized them as disrespectful to actual victims of sexual abuse. Following these allegations, the Minneapolis Institute of Art has canceled Wiley's upcoming September exhibition, 'An Archaeology of Silence,' which had previously been displayed at the de Young Museum in San Francisco and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. While no criminal charges have been filed against Wiley, his legal team has issued a cease and desist letter to Awuah-Darko, demanding the removal of the Instagram post and any further statements. Awuah-Darko is recognized as an artist, musician, curator, and collector of contemporary African and diaspora art, whereas Wiley is renowned for his 2018 portrait of Barack Obama.