Editor’s Note: The following story contains mentions of sexual assault and harassment. To reach the National Sexual Assault Hotline, call 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit online.rainn.org.
At least two more people have accused American painter Kehinde Wiley of sexual violence and misconduct. In an Instagram post shared early this morning, June 10, activist and Warriors in the Garden co-founder Derrick Ingram alleged that Wiley raped him and sexually assaulted him at the artist’s Soho apartment on September 10, 2021. Another artist, United Kingdom-based filmmaker, poet, and curator Nathaniel Lloyd Richards, also accused Wiley of inappropriate touching and groping during a date in 2019, according to a statement shared with Hyperallergic.
The new allegations against the painter shortly follow sexual assault accusations made by Ghanaian artist Joseph Awuah-Darko less than a month ago, which Wiley vehemently denied.
Wiley’s attorney, Jennifer Barrett, told Hyperallergic that there is “no evidence” to Ingram’s allegations and that the two had a “one-time consensual encounter.” Barrett added that Wiley denies any inappropriate conduct towards Richards. “Posting something to Instagram doesn’t make it true. Yet, in today’s world, anyone can spread blatant lies with a single post, and the public accepts it at face value,” Barrett said, further characterizing Awuah-Darko’s claims as a “vendetta” against the artist.
In his Instagram post, Ingram claimed that he was “raped [unprotected] and sexually assaulted” by Wiley at his New York apartment on September 10, 2021. He detailed that the pair allegedly had “an ongoing relationship for about four months” from late July until the end of October.
“During the course of our relationship, there were moments of extreme violence which included being punched in an Uber, being slapped and along with severe emotional manipulation,” Ingram continued, adding that he is still recovering from the alleged abuse in therapy.
In the post, Ingram also alleged that on October 12, 2021, Wiley asked him to sign a non-disclosure agreement about the September incident, which the activist says he refused. (Barrett told Hyperallergic that Wiley did not ask Ingram to sign an NDA.)
In a signed statement, Lloyd Richards accused Wiley of “aggressive and forceful” touching and groping during a date at a Beijing sushi restaurant in 2019.
“Specifically, he touched and groped my knee and thigh multiple times, despite my clear verbal objections and explicit statements that his actions were inappropriate and unwelcome,” Richards wrote, adding that the behavior made him feel “unsafe and uncomfortable,” leading him to leave the date early.
After the incident, Richards said he spoke with another individual, a Jamaican student studying medicine in Beijing, who “recounted a similar experience” with the artist.
In response to the new allegations, Wiley posted a statement on his Instagram on June 11 calling Awuah-Darko’s claims “baseless and defamatory.” Wiley also shared screenshots of text and social media exchanges between him and Awuah-Darko in the years since their first meeting in 2021, noting that Awuah-Darko has “consistently sent me messages via phone and Instagram professing his love for me, my talent, and my work.”
Awuah-Darko has started an online petition encouraging Galerie Templon and Sean Kelly Gallery, which both represent Wiley, to investigate the claims of sexual violence and harassment. The petition, which was published on June 2, has 740 signatures so far. Hyperallergic has contacted Galerie Templon and Sean Kelly Gallery for comment.Â
Editor’s note 6/11/24 2:28pm EST: This article has been updated with comments made by Wiley in an Instagram post after publication.
