KW: I don't want an organic sense. You know, I think that the passion and the posturing and the way that people attempt to position themselves in paintings speaks directly to the ego. It speaks directly to that artificiality and artifice that is portrait painting. In fact, I don't really believe in this sort of romantic notion of purity with portrait painting. The more uncomfortable and the more contrived and the more the models try to look composed, the better for me. I think we're getting close to the point there.  

SEY: For your most recent work-- the World Stage series-- you visited countries like China, Brazil and Senegal. How did choosing subjects in those other countries differ from your experiences in the U.S? 

KW:  People were more willing and more inhibited. I had to deal with some of the economic realities. If someone's offering you money to take a picture and that money represents what you would ordinarily make in a month then perhaps you're a little weirded-out by this strange foreigner, but there's a very strong motivation there. And I think in the west there's certainly a much more televisual, celebrity-ready culture. People almost feel like they're going to be discovered overnight, like 'Of course this is happening to me.' We live in a much more post-Paris Hilton generation of being stopped and being checked for a large heroic painting, like it's their birthright in some regard. You certainly don't see that in the streets of West Africa and Southeast Asia.

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WANT MORE? If you love Kehinde's work, check out his peers. These artists are currently being featured in "Flow," a non-thematic exhibition at the Studio Museum in Harlemwhere Kehinde was once an artist-in-residence.

Mustafa Maluka     

The South African native paints for himself, but the gallery-going public can certainly enjoy the fruits of his aesthetic labor. Maluka's portrait pieces are reminiscent of Andy Warhol paintings, but with much more pain and social analysis and less pop culture.

Modou Dieng

In DETROITNEXUS, Dieng exposes the exploitation behind entertainment. Using mixed media pieces, Dieng deconstructs music idols Nat King Cole and Jimi Hendrix to demonstrate their struggles within the industry.

Elias Sime

Examining his native land, Sime utilized mixed media pieces to analyze forgotten Ethiopian traditions. His detailed yarn reliefs evoke concepts of internal struggle. Though Sime's works are undoubtedly personally motivated, his pieces remain relevant to the historical progression and conflicts of most cultures.

Saaret E. Yoseph is a writer living in Washington D.C and Editorial Assistant for The Root.

Also on The Root:

Saaret E. Yoseph describes the Extra Baggage on a Trip Home to Ethiopia. Veronica Chambers on Erykah Badu and the Latest Wave of  Black Genius. Eco-Chef Bryant Terry gives pointers on how to Stay Black (and Green).

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