Kehinde Wiley and Inter-textuality

Intertextuality is "a way of accounting for the role of literary and extra-literary materials without recourse to traditional notions of authorship"
http://elab.eserver.org/hfl0278.html



Intertextuality is when you take or "borrow" an idea or image from an another artwork or peice of writing then translate into something that helps you understand it better, having two peices of work that are inter-connected.  "It can include an author’s borrowing and transformation of a prior text or to a reader’s referencing of one text in reading another."

I think that many of Wiley's potraits are based around the specific theme of intertextuality as his theatrical poses and objects are based around famous 17th and 18th century Western art. His poses that he places Hip Hop icons or African American male figures are ones of power and spiritual awakening, we see normal everyday males taken of the street and then transformed into something hero-like. Use of things like gold frames and floral patterns with swirling contrasting colours gives the sense of wealth and power.



Wiley's work incorporates Pluralism as it include ideas such as diversity of religions, ethnicities, economic status and different ideologies, we are confronted with Black males being the vocal point of powerful Renaissance based paintings, something that challenges our own steriotypical patterns and thoughts. It raises question about social heirarchies and political power.