Man with his eyes closed laying on a grassy ground, in front of a colorful wallpaper backdrop

Kehinde Wiley, Femme Piquée par un Serpent (Mamadou Gueye), 2022. Oil on canvas, 131 7/8 x 300 in. (335 x 762 cm), framed: 143 5/16 x 311 x 3 15/16 in. (364 x 790 x 10 cm). EX1137.2. ©️ Kehinde Wiley. Courtesy of Galerie Templon, Paris. Photo: Ugo Carmeni

de Young Exhibition

Kehinde Wiley: An Archaeology of Silence

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de Young

Galleries 28, 29, 50a, 60, 61, 62, Wilsey Court

March 18 – October 15, 2023

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American artist Kehinde Wiley’s new body of paintings and sculptures confronts the silence surrounding systemic violence against Black people through the visual language of the fallen figure. It expands on his 2008 series, Down — a group of large-scale portraits of young Black men inspired by Hans Holbein the Younger’s The Dead Christ in the Tomb (1521–1522). Wiley investigates the iconography of death and sacrifice in Western art, tracing it across religious, mythological, and historical subjects. In An Archaeology of Silence, the senseless deaths of men and women around the world are transformed into a powerful elegy of resistance. The resulting paintings of figures struck down, wounded, or dead, referencing iconic paintings of mythical heroes, martyrs, and saints, offer a haunting meditation on the legacies of colonialism and systemic racism.

Additional venues

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (November 19, 2023–June 19, 2024)
Pérez Art Museum Miami (July 26, 2024–January 12, 2025)
Minneapolis Institute of Art (February 22–June 22, 2025)

In the news

Massive, exquisitely rendered, and weighted with significance, the work proves both of the moment and transcendent of it.

James Tarmy, Bloomberg
The works portray Black men and women as icons, and while vulnerable, the figures exude a sense of resilience and perseverance.

Grace Ebert, COLOSSAL

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Every American is affected by legacies of colonialism and systemic racism, in ways conscious and unconscious. Yet it can be overwhelming to identify avenues for getting involved in our communities, as well as seek out the support we need in the face of ongoing injustice and harm. The following is a non-exhaustive list of local and national resources, produced with the intention of sparking vulnerable dialogue, inspiring collective action, and offering tools for building the world we want to see.

- Anti Police-Terror Project: Black-led, multiracial, and intergenerational coalition working toward a sustainable model for eliminating police terror in communities of color
- BElovedBIRTH Black Centering: Program of the Alameda Health System and Alameda County Public Health Department offering pre- and postnatal care for Black women and birthing people, by Black people
- Black Infant Health: California Department of Public Health program providing resources to improve the health and wellbeing of Black pregnant women and birthing people
- Black Organizing Project: Grassroots organization centering the voices and needs of Black people in organizing spaces
- Catalyst Project: Resource-driven organization training white organizers seeking to participate in anti-racist social movements
- Critical Resistance Oakland: Longest-standing chapter of Critical Resistance operating campaigns on anti-policing, anti-imprisonment, and “inside-outside” correspondence work with imprisoned people, in addition to other community-building and empowering initiatives
- Ella Baker Center: Police accountability, policy advocacy, and violence prevention organization and resource originally founded in 1996 as Bay Area Police Watch
- Essie Justice Project: Nonprofit organization of women and gender non-conforming people with incarcerated loved ones engaging in advocacy and healing work to end the harms of mass incarceration
- San Francisco Human Rights Commission: Department of the City of San Francisco serving as a resource platform and advocacy initiative
- Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective: National movement-building, grant-making, and training institution rooted in removing barriers to mental health and wellness services for Black and marginalized communities
- Mental Health First Oakland: Project of the Anti Police-Terror Project offering a new model for non-police responses to mental health crises
- National Alliance on Mental Illness San Francisco: Nation’s largest grassroots organization dedicated to improving the lives of those living with mental illness, hosting regular Black, Indigenous, and people of color mental health support groups
- Therapy for Black Girls: National platform for mental health resources geared toward Black women and girls
- Therapy for Black Men: National platform for mental health resources geared toward Black men and boys
- Urban Health Group: Team of licensed counselors and psychotherapists serving the East Bay and specializing in supporting Black, Indigenous, and other people of color in need of mental health services
- The Black Teacher Project: Educational nonprofit founded to support the development and leadership of Black teachers as well as reimagine schools as communities of liberated learning
- Center for Political Education: Educational resource for leftist political organizations and individuals seeking to deepen critical analysis of systems of oppression
- The Oscar Grant Foundation: Organization founded in 2010 following the 2009 police killing of Oscar Grant, offering training and mental health resources to address the root cause of police violence
- Prisoners Literature Project: Volunteer-run grassroots nonprofit with the purpose of encouraging reading, the pursuit of knowledge, and self-determination among incarcerated people
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Kehinde Wiley: An Archaeology of Silence is organized by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. The interpretation partners for the exhibition include:
- Rev. Dereca Blackmon, Inclusion Design Group
- Dr. Akilah Cadet, Change Cadet
- Hodari B. Davis, Edutainment for Equity
- Saundra Eve, Oscar Grant Foundation
- Rev. Wanda Johnson, Oscar Grant Foundation
- Dr. Micia Mosely, Black Teacher Project
- André Bloodstone Singleton, The Very Black Project

de Young

Legion of Honor

de Young

Legion of Honor

Kehinde Wiley: An Archaeology of Silence

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