Ghanaian Artist Accuses Kehinde Wiley Of Sexual Assault

British-born Ghanaian artist Joseph Awuah-Darko accused renowned painter Kehinde Wiley of sexually assaulting him twice in June 2021.

In a Sunday Instagram post, Awuah-Darko said he met Wiley in Ghana at a dinner honoring Wiley at the Noldor Artist Residency, which Awuah-Darko founded. Wiley, a Los Angeles-born New York-based artist, is known for painting the official portrait of President Barack Obama.

In the first instance of assault described in Awuah-Darko’s post, he said that Wiley “inappropriately groped” him by grabbing his rear end and asking something to the effect of “What is this thing?”

The second assault, according to Awuah-Darko, was “much more severe and violent,” but he did not go into details online.

However, Awuah-Darko told The New York Times in an interview that the encounter began with consent until the two moved to a bedroom and Wiley allegedly forced himself onto Awuah-Darko.

Wiley seemingly addressed the accusation Sunday in a post on Instagram: “Someone I had a brief, consensual relationship with almost three years ago is now making a false accusation about our time together.”

“I kindly ask for privacy as I work to clear my name,” he added.

Attorneys for Wiley told The New York Times that they sent Awuah-Darko a cease-and-desist letter, but Awuah-Darko denied having seen it at the time.

Awuah-Darko claimed in his Sunday post that “the art world” has been aware of Wiley’s predatory behavior, but he didn’t specify for how long. Awuah-Darko added that he hopes his decision to come forward will “shine a light on more truth to come.”

Awuah-Darko is not formally pressing charges.

“Given Kehinde’s self-described global recognition as a gay man, formally reporting this assault in a West African country like Ghana [where anti-LGBTQIA+ sentiments are prevalent] would have been problematic at best — dangerous at worst,” Awuah-Darko explained.

“I am aware I’m not the perfect sexual assault victim,” Awuah-Darko told The New York Times, “but this is what happened to me. I’m hoping other people come forward.”

Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.