Black Rock Sénégal Partners with Kehinde Wiley on Limited Edition Prints

Black Rock Global Arts Foundation was established by world-renowned artist Kehinde Wiley to develop and support initiatives that connect artists and creative thinkers throughout the world with opportunities to collaborate, create, and live in locations of cultural significance on the African continent and throughout the African disaspora. The Foundation supports Black Rock Sénégal, a multidisciplinary artist-in-residence program that brings together an annual cohort of international artist to live and work in Dakar, Sénégal and has hosted over 60 artists. 

Since 2019, Black Rock Sénégal has partnered with Kehinde Wiley to produce a series of unique charitable print editions, with 100% of sale proceeds going directly towards the general operating support of Black Rock Sénégal. Portrait of Marie-Agnès Diene follows the success of previous annual releases, including Dimietrus Study (2021), Sharrod Hosten Study III (2020), and Head of a Young Girl Veiled (2019). 

Kehinde Wiley announces the release of his latest limited-edition print, Portrait of Marie-Agnès Diene in alliance with Black Rock Sénégal and Kehinde Wiley Shop. This charitable partnership marks the fourth annual collaboration between the artist and Black Rock Sénégal, a dynamic artist-in-residence program in Dakar dedicated to fostering creative exchange and dialogue throughout the African diaspora. 

Portrait of Marie-Agnès Diene is a significant addition to Kehinde Wiley's oeuvre, as it represents his first female portrait to be featured in a charitable print edition. The subject of the portrait, Marie-Agnès Diene, hails from Sénégal and posed for the piece within Wiley's Dakar studio, which shares a compound with Black Rock Sénégal's residency space. The portrait captures Diene's distinct presence, merging her individuality with Wiley's signature style characterized by vibrant patterns and arresting compositions inspired by woodblock prints.

Image: Portrait of Marie-Agnès Diene © Kehinde Wiley, 2023. Courtesy of Kehinde Wiley and Black Rock Senegal.