British-Ghanaian artist and curator Joseph Awuah-Darko has accused renowned American painter Kehinde Wiley of sexually assaulting him twice in 2021.
In an Instagram post shared Sunday, Awuah-Darko said it first occurred on June 9, 2021, at a dinner held at the Noldor Artist Residency in Ghana, where he was “inappropriately groped” by Wiley, in front of another guest.
According to Awuah-Darko, the second incident was “much more severe and violent,” though he spared the details, claiming the assaults “almost destroyed me.”
In a subsequent interview with the New York Times, he explained that “a sexual encounter began consensually, but that it then moved to a bedroom, where… Mr. Wiley forced himself on him after Mr. Awuah-Darko had said he did not want to go further.”
Awuah-Darko spoke about being gay in Ghana, “Given the recently passed anti-LGBTQ bill in Ghanaian Parliament last February, I will never feel safe enough to return to Ghana given current circumstances.”
Shortly after the post by Awuah-Darko, Wiley denied the claims, writing on Instagram:
“Someone I had a brief, consensual relationship with almost three years ago is now making a false accusation about our time together. These claims are not true and are an affront to all victims of sexual abuse.”
“I have no idea why he has decided to target me in this way — particularly when there is a litany of evidence showing his claims are false — but I hope he gets the help he needs for whatever he is going through,” Wiley added. “I kindly ask for privacy as I work to clear my name.
