Kehinde Wiley And Absolut Art Announce Partnership
 To Support Black Rock Senegal Artist Residency

Kehinde Wiley and Absolut Art are pleased to reveal an exclusive new print edition as part of a charitable partnership to support Black Rock Senegal artist in residence program. Head of a Young Girl Veiled (2019) will be available exclusively through Absolut Art beginning November 2. All net proceeds from the signed edition of 30 prints, priced at $15,000 apiece, will benefit Black Rock as charitable contributions.

"I chose Head of a Young Girl Veiled especially for Black Rock because it speaks to the layered complexities of sight and knowledge, provoking inquiry by sitting at the intersection between the masculine and feminine, the historic and the present. It draws inspiration from a beautiful and terrible past and seeks to posit a new vocabulary for how we can all move forward as thinkers, artists, and global citizens," says Kehinde Wiley.

Launched by Wiley earlier this year, Black Rock Senegal is a residency program that brings together international groups of visual artists, writers, and filmmakers to join the artist at his studio on the westernmost point of continental Africa. Black Rock seeks to support new artistic creation by promoting conversations and collaborations that are multigenerational, cross-cultural, and cross-disciplinary. Black Rock takes its physical location as a point of departure to incite change in the global discourse around Africa in the context of creative evolution.

The Absolut Art print proceeds will help support the residency, which provides accommodation, food, individual studio space, art supplies, local staff to aid in navigating Senegal's capital, Dakar, and a language tutor to assist with English, French, and Wolof-the three primary languages of the program.

"We are honored to collaborate with Kehinde Wiley and Black Rock, whose mission to support the creative evolution of artists is shared by Absolut Art," says Michelle Grey, Absolut Art Creative Director. "With this ongoing partnership, we hope to raise a significant amount of money for the program as well as provide a meaningful platform for Black Rock's artists."

Beyond raising essential funds for Black Rock, the exclusive Absolut Art print creates a rare opportunity to own an official signed Kehinde Wiley artwork at a pivotal moment in his career, just following the artist's unveiling of his first monumental public sculpture in Times Square.

"We are proud to welcome Kehinde Wiley to the Absolut Art platform," says Nahema Mehta, Absolut Art CEO. "Building an empowered and diverse community of artists and collectors is at the heart of Absolut Art. Every year we champion select philanthropic institutions that align with our vision and we're thrilled to be supporting Black Rock Senegal."

Known for his virtuosic portrayals of Diasporic Africans, including the official portrait of President Obama, the artist has diversified portraiture, updating its symbolic vocabulary to disrupt the cultural assumptions attached to skin color. His work is delicate yet forceful, both steeped in art history and critically of the moment.

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