Over the weekend, British-born, Ghana-based artist and curator, Joseph Awuah-Darko, took to Instagram to accuse Kehinde Wiley of sexual assault. Wiley responded to the allegation on his own Instagram account.
In March, Awuah-Darko referenced an experience with sexual assault by ‘someone who outranks me’ in a post on Instagram, though he did not name Wiley at the time. In the post, Awuah-Darko solicited contributions for ‘projected legal fees,’ with a target of $200,000. Fast forward to yesterday’s post, the artist claimed that on June 9, 2021, Wiley sexually assaulted him twice during a dinner held in his honor by Ghana’s Creative Art Council at the Noldor Artist Residency.
“On 9th June 2021 – I was sexually assaulted by @kehindewiley. It almost destroyed me,” Awuah-Darko wrote. “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.”
In the post, Awuah-Darko claimed that Wiley “inappropriately groped” him first, grabbing his buttocks and mentioned something along the lines of ‘What is this thing? Later that evening, he made reference to an alleged assault that was “much more severe and violent,” but he gave no details. Instead, Awuah-Darko stated that the fact that Wiley was a gay man and that anti-LGBTQIA+ sentiment was pervasive in Ghana, made it difficult for him to confront the alleged assault.
Not long after Awuah-Darko’s post went live, Wiley responded with a post of his own calling the relationship “consensual.” According to ARTnews, Wiley wrote a longer statement about how ‘the claims were “deeply hurtful” and that he would “pursue all legal options to bring the truth to light.”’
“Someone I had a brief, consensual relationship with is now making false, disturbing, and defamatory accusations about our time together,” Wiley said. “These claims are deeply hurtful to me, and I will pursue all legal options to bring the truth to light and clear my name. These claims are also a slap in the face for all victims of sexual abuse. I have no idea why this individual has decided to target me this way, particularly since he has been trying to be part of my life ever since we met – flying to Nigeria to attend my birthday party, attempting to visit my home in upstate in New York, sending me warm and cordial text messages, and almost a year-ago to the day attending my exhibition at the de Young Museum in San Francisco and posting to Instagram that the show by his ‘dear friend’ was ‘breathtaking.’ He has posted extensively on Instagram about his struggles with mental illness and I hope he gets help with whatever he is going through. I will vigorously defend my name and reputation.”
In a direct message to ARTnews on Sunday afternoon, Awuah-Darko addressed Wiley’s statement, stating that the artist’s portrayal of their relationship did not conflict with allegations of sexual assault.
“Reconciling with the painful reality of Kehinde’s assault against me was something that I only accepted in late October 2023, when I confided in one of my best friends, who is a gallerist. That is how recent my acceptance of my assault was and after years of therapy over time,” Awuah-Darko wrote. “My relationship with Kehinde in months and moments prior to my epiphany of the abuse I experienced under his hand, would have been friendly and even cordial; whether it was the birthday party he invited me to or discussions about the possibility of meeting. Much like his OTHER VICTIMS. I think it is important to constantly challenge the misconception that a sexual predator is a complete stranger. There is evidence to show that almost over 90% of sexual abuse cases reported are those where victims know the predator intimately or as family or a friend. I am of sound mind and stand by the integrity of statement today.”
As of now, there have been no further developments in this story.
