KW | BANDANAS

• 24 x 24 in (61 x 61 cm).
• Double sided printing.
• 100 grams.

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This limited edition cotton bandana features Kehinde Wiley's 2013 Portrait of James Hamilton, Earl of Arran. As part of the “The World Stage: Jamaica” series, it was first exhibited at Stephen Friedman Gallery, in London. Reimagined from the 1623 Daniel Mytens the Elder painting of the same name, Wiley depicts a young Black man from Kingston to mimic the pose of his 17th century counterpart. With his hands at his side, he is positioned forwardly with his head tilted right as his gaze meets the viewer. A William Morris inspired textile background accompanies him, incorporating the same color palette as the model’s shirt, along with the botanical tendrils that overlap his body.  The delineation between the model’s clothing and the background are almost indiscernible. 

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This limited edition cotton bandana features Kehinde Wiley's Portrait of Nelly Moudime II (2020), a painting from the body of work that Kehinde developed in New York in early 2019, exploring the continued resonance of 1990s hip hop culture in the city. The models from this body of work are people that Kehinde met on the streets of New York, particularly in and around SoHo.

The model is named Nelly Moudime and she lives in New York. She has previously been the subject of two other Kehinde Wiley paintings — an oval painting from a series featuring models in classical European armor (Portrait of Nelly Moudime, 2019), as well as a group portrait (Portrait of Nelly Moudime and Najaee Hall, 2020).

The background pattern references an 18th-century British textile design by William Klburn, designer and calico printer, Wallington, Surrey depicting mixed flowers and their trailing roots. The styling for the shoot was done by American design-duo Dee and Ricky.