Editor’s Notice: The next story incorporates mentions of sexual assault and harassment. To succeed in the Nationwide Sexual Assault Hotline, name 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to on-line.rainn.org.
No less than two extra folks have accused American painter Kehinde Wiley of sexual violence and misconduct. In an Instagram publish shared early this morning, June 10, activist and Warriors within the Backyard co-founder Derrick Ingram alleged that Wiley raped him and sexually assaulted him on the artist’s Soho condominium on September 10, 2021. One other artist, United Kingdom-based filmmaker, poet, and curator Nathaniel Lloyd Richards, additionally accused Wiley of inappropriate touching and groping throughout a date in 2019, in response to a press release shared with Hyperallergic.
The brand new allegations in opposition to the painter shortly observe sexual assault accusations made by Ghanaian artist Joseph Awuah-Darko lower than a month in the past, which Wiley vehemently denied.
Wiley’s legal professional, Jennifer Barrett, advised Hyperallergic that there’s “no proof” to Ingram’s allegations and that the 2 had a “one-time consensual encounter.” Barrett added that Wiley denies any inappropriate conduct in direction of Richards. “Posting one thing to Instagram doesn’t make it true. But, in right now’s world, anybody can unfold blatant lies with a single publish, and the general public accepts it at face worth,” Barrett mentioned, additional characterizing Awuah-Darko’s claims as a “vendetta” in opposition to the artist.
In his Instagram publish, Ingram claimed that he was “raped [unprotected] and sexually assaulted” by Wiley at his New York condominium on September 10, 2021. He detailed that the pair allegedly had “an ongoing relationship for about 4 months” from late July till the top of October.
“In the course of the course of our relationship, there have been moments of utmost violence which included being punched in an Uber, being slapped and together with extreme emotional manipulation,” Ingram continued, including that he’s nonetheless recovering from the alleged abuse in remedy.
Within the publish, Ingram additionally alleged that on October 12, 2021, Wiley requested him to signal a non-disclosure settlement in regards to the September incident, which the activist says he refused. (Barrett advised Hyperallergic that Wiley didn’t ask Ingram to signal an NDA.)
In a signed assertion, Lloyd Richards accused Wiley of “aggressive and forceful” touching and groping throughout a date at a Beijing sushi restaurant in 2019.
“Particularly, he touched and groped my knee and thigh a number of occasions, regardless of my clear verbal objections and specific statements that his actions have been inappropriate and unwelcome,” Richards wrote, including that the conduct made him really feel “unsafe and uncomfortable,” main him to depart the date early.
After the incident, Richards mentioned he spoke with one other particular person, a Jamaican scholar learning medication in Beijing, who “recounted an identical expertise” with the artist.
Alongside the brand new allegations in opposition to Wiley, Awuah-Darko has additionally began an on-line petition encouraging Galerie Templon and Sean Kelly Gallery, which each characterize Wiley, to research the claims of sexual violence and harassment. The petition, which was printed on June 2, thus far has 740 signatures.
Hyperallergic has contacted Galerie Templon and Sean Kelly Gallery for remark.