Yes, these flamboyant wingmen have been divided into two groups. Down low, thug, H.I.V. positive infidels or flamboyant, weave-wearing ken dolls equipped with an over-sized bag and heels. How the media took the covers off of their bodies and exposed us for what they really are? That will never be known, but the evidence is found in countless Oprah episodes, Terry McMillan tirades, Bravo’s Real Housewives of Atlanta , and countless other places in the media where we are able to discover the real black gay community and what it has to offer.

Needless to say (or maybe it is needed) those stereotypes and glaring lights never sat well with me. See, the only thing that’s worse and more uncomfortable than an untrue stereo-type is a stereotype that is true. Stereotypes that are proven to be true give the perpetrators permission to hold everyone in the community to those standards and accusations. The harm is mostly in the stifling growth of an already slowed and disenfranchised community that can spawn all types of fun little shadows like ignorance and hatred. Simply put, I don’t entertain stereotypes in any shape or form because I know what kind of cultural monsters they can perform. One little misunderstanding and we have Godzilla’s and King Kong’s stomping all over our society like a Japanese city.

Kehinde Wiley, a gay black man, under my first inspection, was an evil genius of the very community I guard so dearly, a trader working on the inside. Kehinde Wiley is an artist best known for his large, immaculate portraits of black, ‘urban’ men in traditionally Renaissance (and I ain’t talking Harlem) poses equipped with obnoxious backgrounds that results in a realistic look at the human and satirical, and almost bombastic look at the state of the black man and who we were and can be. I hated it. The saggy pants, the mean faces, and the obnoxious play on colors worked against all my sensibilities about art and aesthetics. More than visually, I hated what it represented. I despised the thought of a gay, black uplifting the image of the very genre of black men that usually find comfort in being homophobic. That is, until a friend of mine with superior gaydar (even with art) gave my gaydar some new batteries.

The subjects in these very paintings are gay. They’re the homo-thugs that Terry McMilan warns us about, they’re the trade pieces (n. visually heterosexual appearing men who are homosexual or bisexual) that my friends fiend over. These aren’t just black men of today posing as kings; these are queens of today posing as kings of yesterday. Brilliant. Instantly, the decidedly tacky nature of the work transformed into the flamboyance of our culture. The ‘royal’ gestures and poses of the subjects became overtly more effeminate. In that second Kehinde Wiley became less a trader working on the inside, but a mastermind of uplifting and broadening the connotation of the black gay man, while the media is too busy being enamored with the thought of a black man being able to stand on two feet, paint realism, and drink kool-aid at the same time. Touché, Wiley, touché.

or

Why You Don’t Own Anything You Create Anymore

Bloggers will just take your shit. It’s not a question of why or what, more so when. I’ve seen my work lifted, reblogged without credit, in the logo of a popular fashion blog, Tumblr, Twitter backgrounds, literally everywhere. This is the beauty of the Internet. This allows for creative endadeavors to travel far and wide.

We live in a digital age. And we don’t own anything we create. If an artist wants to have complete control over the use of their work they should keep it locked away in their studios. Once it’s out there, once it’s on the Internet, it’s fair game to be remixed, rewired, rework, analyzed, criticized, You-tubed, Tweeted, all over a FuckYeah Tumblr. This is just the time we live in.

If you’re Prince you think this is bullshit. The artist recently went to lengths to argue on Lopez Tonight that ‘once a cover is recorded the original ceases to exhibit.’ Hard to fathom when Chaka Khan famously covered a little known cut of his, “I Feel For You,” and had a massive crossover hit. Prince himself, had a hit with a cover of “Betcha By Golly Wow.” And who could forget this?

If Prince wants to block covers, fine. He has every right. But artists also have a right to the work. To think, If we do that, we may never get another one of these:

Prince may be on to something though. The recent ruling which found Richard Prince guilty of appropriating imagery created by others – violated the law by using photographs from a book about Rastafarians to create a series of collages and painting. This is one of those cases where fair use can’t save you.

Where does this leave other artists who rely on images from other artists? Bansky, Ron English, Shepard Fairey, Kehinde Wiley. The list could rival a laundry list. Then I got to thinking. All artists reuse images from other artists. In literature this is called Intertextuality. There can’t really be any copyright infringement. If Richard Prince can be sued for using those images, why can’t the subjects who the photographer did not have permission to shoot sue him? And the slippery slope begins.

David LaChapelle’s recent lawsuit against Rihanna reminds me a bigger lawsuit between Madonna and the estate of late photographer Guy Bourdin. The estate claimed Madonna’s video for her song “Hollywood” directly lifted photos by Bourdin. Madge called it inspiration. Who’s right? They both are.

I’m on the fence about it all. On one hand I’m an art editor who has seen press release and articles I’ve written repost, cut and pasted all over the Internet, so naturally that side would place me on the side of the photographer. On the other hand, I’m a collage artist whose work consists of images that I have not taken.

In our digital age we have a very different definition of what it is to be creative. Our generation, artists aside, creatively express themselves mainly through the creations of others. The music they listen to, the brands they strap across their backs, whether they’re #teamiphone or #teamblackberry, this how our generation defines itself. And you can’t tell a generation that uses Tumblr what creativity is. I’m sure they’re a song lyric away from tweeting the exact feeling.

According to the Art Markets everywhere, Art Basel was a success. Most galleries are already reporting huge figures for art sales. Adding to the extensive list of venerable Los Angeles area galleries which made a mass exodus down to Southern Florida this past weekend, Roberts & Tilton made waves at Art Basel Miami Beach with their diverse stable of contemporary artists. Exhibiting an impressive selection of primarily new work from Barry McGee, Kehinde Wiley, Ed Templeton, Titus Kaphar, Noah Davis, Jimmy Baker, Ai Yamaguchi, Adam Pendleton and Ellen De Meutter, their cross-country journey will provide the rare opportunity to witness such a large group of well-established, genre-transcending artists in a single setting. The above image, shot by Corinne Stevie is from blank’s show at Blah featuring Kehinde Wiley, a & more.

Another highlight from Art Basel was TMNK’s solo exhibition. This was his first time attending the event and he went on to call it an amazing experience.

Kehinde Wiley is cemented his status as the biggest living artist in the world. His recent show at Deitch Projects in New York is solid proof. The Opening Night of his recent unvieling of new works entitled “Legends of Unity” brought out New York’s biggest socialities and art lovers including former Vibe Fashion Editor Memsor Kamarake, Toure’, Fab Five Freddy, Chuck Close and hundreds of guests. Check out photos from the opening by William Yan.

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In celebration of this years World Cup, PUMA has partnered with painter Kehinde Wiley, to commission works from the Kehinde inspired by three of the most decorated soccer players. This unique ephemeral exhibition will be held from February 4th to 7th at Space Topography of Art, 15 rue de Thorigny in Paris. The patterns on these photos are really mind-blowing.

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Kevin Cyr and Jason Bryant exhibited work in a show entitled “Behind the Curtain” at Raandesk Gallery in New York. Both artists worked as studio assistants for Kehinde Wiley, so their skills are obviously top notch. All photos of the opening are courtesy of Mynameisphoto.com

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The show opening September 3rd, entitled “Black Light,” is an exhibition of 17 photographs most likely taken from the similarly named book from Powerhouse Books.

As seen with his lecture at The Getty in May (followed by his show at Roberts & Tilton), taking these photos of subjects off the street is the first step of his portraiture technique. It appears the intricate patterns, textiles, and backgrounds are then added digitally before the painting process begins. Here are some images from the book below.