2010 Character Approved Awards honoree Kehinde Wiley
“What a sensational honor to have this artist and his statement be documented for all to hear and see,and to bare witness to what it feels like being African American in this world.He has given us a true visual gift and a much needed makeover as far as self-image that speaks volumes of which I do not need to explain,he does it quite exquisitly and poignatly illustrating the sentiment every African American visitor to a museum  or gallery must feel. These visual facts must cross the minds of other people who attend these same institutions or, is that the art that they are gazing apon have such a power that you’re to overlook this antropological oversight? Simply and visually stateting that African Americans shouldn’t exsist or be recognized for positive influence and image? Kinda makes you Humm!

Yoshitomo Nara +KaMo collaboration

An unexpected collaboration occured between two artists who live on opposite sides of the world from each other and their lives couldn’t be any more contrasting by one artist being born in Japan and the other in Trenton New jersey.

This unlikely work in progress was self-imposed by me during an artist talk last week at Princeton University’s McCormick Hall where the Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara gave a presentation of his work as part of a lecture series titled ‘ Too Cute’ a discussion about the new trends  in Japan, addressing pop culture, consumerism, and the artist role in product developement from fine art, fashion,mass media and designer toys.

I had the pleasure to meet the painter and although he didn’t speak english I managed to give him a 4″ mini Munny by Kidrobot and a black Sharpie pen and he emediately began to draw a character on the surface of the object (shown here) after first giving me a pleasent look of surprize,I think.

I then went home very excited and began to add my own lines to the figure to  complete the character that Mr.Nara was generous enough to start for me. This is still a work in progress and I’ll post the results to this website and my flickr photo page for everyone to see when it is finished.