Portrait Of Mahogany Jones And Marcus 2018

Curator: Editor: Here we have Kehinde Wiley’s "Portrait of Mahogany Jones and Marcus" from 2018, made with acrylic paint. The two figures are striking against the ornate background. I’m really interested in how Wiley merges the traditional portrait format with such contemporary and even commercial elements. What draws your eye? Curator: My focus immediately goes to the Nike swoosh and slogan on Marcus’s t-shirt, juxtaposed against the opulent floral patterns. Wiley consistently plays with these tensions – high art portraiture, usually reserved for the elite, using mass-produced clothing, specifically sportswear as the main material for image making, that democratizes art making. It compels me to think about consumption, labour, and the globalization of culture. Look closely at those jeans, see the branded rips and tears, as a sort of *already made* gesture and choice. What do you make of that? Editor: So, you're saying it’s not just about representing these figures, but also about the very materials—the clothing—and how those mass-produced items reflect their identity within a broader system of capitalism and labor? Curator: Precisely. Consider how the backdrop pattern, which could be seen as decorative, might actually comment on the historical use of patterns and textiles as markers of class and status and how those have changed through global manufacture. Where is it being made, who is being represented, who gets seen. That image performs this seeing in all of its glory. Do you see what I mean? Editor: I hadn’t considered it that deeply! It’s almost as if Wiley is using these portraits as a way to question who gets memorialized and through what means they become visible. Curator: Exactly, and that extends to the very materials used and how they participate in this cycle of value and representation. Editor: I guess, in a way, the “canvas” is no longer just the painting itself, but also the clothes the subjects wear and the context they bring. Thanks. Curator: My pleasure. It is always productive to consider who, what and where makes an image have power and where the resources of that making lie.