Ghanaian artist Joseph Awuah-Darko accuses Kehinde Wiley of sexual assault

British-born, Ghana-based artist Joseph Awuah-Darko accused star artist Kehinde Wiley of sexual assault in an Instagram post published on Sunday, saying he was seeking “legal action.” Wiley denied the allegations on his own Instagram account.

In the post, Awuah-Darko alleged that Wiley sexually assaulted him twice on June 9, 2021, during a dinner hosted by Ghana’s Creative Art Council in his honor at the Noldor Artist Residency.

“On June 9, 2021 I was sexually assaulted by @kehindewiley. It almost destroyed me,” Awuah-Darko wrote. “I hope my words and my openness about my painful experience encourage others to come forward. I hope that all that unfolds paves a path that leads not only to accountability, but also to compensation and collective healing for other victims.”

In the post, Awuah-Darko claimed that Wiley first groped him “inappropriately” and grabbed his buttocks. He then alluded to a “much more serious and violent” attack later that night, but gave no details about that alleged incident. Awuah-Darko instead noted that it was difficult for him to confront the alleged assault due to Wiley’s status as a gay man and the anti-LGBTQIA+ sentiment prevalent in Ghana.

“I am actively seeking legal action and hope that speaking out about my abuse will empower other victims to do the same,” Awuah-Darko said ARTnews in a direct message on Instagram on Sunday.

Awuah-Darko had previously referenced an experience of sexual assault by “someone more senior than me” in an Instagram post over a month ago, although he did not mention Wiley by name at the time and the post has since been deleted.

The Noldor Artist Residency Instagram page contains a post from June 9, 2021 that mentions the dinner to which Awuah-Darko’s post refers.

The residency program, the first of its kind in Ghana, was founded by Awuah-Darko in November 2020 to provide emerging African artists with dedicated studio space and a four-week retreat in Accra. The residence has since evolved into a museum, the Institute Museum of Ghana.

Shortly after Awuah-Darko’s post went live, Wiley responded with a post of her own. “Someone with whom I had a brief, consensual relationship almost three years ago is now making false allegations about our time together,” Wiley wrote. “These allegations are untrue and are an affront to all victims of sexual abuse.” Wiley did not identify Awuah-Darko by name, saying only that the person “decided to target me.”

Awuah-Darko is an artist, musician and curator as well as a collector of contemporary African and Diaspora art, much of which he has donated to the Institute Museum to boost its collection. He has shown work at Gallery 1957 and curated a non-sales exhibition last year in collaboration with Sotheby’s and the Olym Collection in Tel Aviv, Israel.

According to the information, the Awuah-Darkos are one of the richest families in Ghana GhanaWebwith a reported net worth of $650 million.

Wiley, who was born in Los Angeles and now lives in New York, is known for his portraits of black men and women in the style of old master paintings. He painted the official portrait of Barack Obama and received many institutional polls.

Representatives for Wiley through his galleries Sean Kelly and Roberts Projects, as well as through Black Rock Senegal, the organization he founded, did not respond to a request for comment.