Barack Obama Portrait Artist Accused Of Sexual Assault Posts Alleged Proof Encounter Was 'Consensual'
An acclaimed artist known for his famous 2018 portrait of former President Barack Obama is "setting the record straight" regarding the sexual assault allegations against him.
On Tuesday, New York City-based portrait painter Kehinde Wiley vehemently denied Ghanaian artist Joseph Awuah-Darko's allegations that he sexually assaulted him in June 2021.
In an Instagram post, Wiley insisted that his "one time" encounter with Awuah-Darko was "consensual" and posted his purported text message exchanges with his fellow artist over the years as proof.
Wiley accused Awuah-Darko of making "baseless and defamatory" allegations and launching a "reckless smear campaign" against him.
According to Wiley, he and Awuah-Darko met at a dinner in Ghana, flirted with each other and had a sexual encounter in June 2021.
"Everything was consensual," the American artist wrote.
He claimed that the Ghanaian artist "left happily" the next morning and later sent him "friendly and flirty text messages" -- alleged screenshots of which Wiley included in the post.
Wiley claimed that after their encounter, Awuah-Darko began "aggressively pursuing a relationship" with him, including allegedly traveling from London to Nigeria just to attend Wiley's birthday party.
Wiley also shared an alleged screenshot of Awuah-Darko asking to visit him at his New York home in August 2022. The former said he "ignored" the request.
Over the years, Awuah-Darko allegedly continued to send him messages via phone and Instagram "professing his love" for Wiley, his talent and his work and mentioned the portrait painter on over 30 Instagram Stories.
"Happy Birthday. Hope you know that you are loved," read one alleged message from Awuah-Darko sent in February 2023.
Wiley also shared a screenshot of Awuah-Darko's Instagram post calling the former his "dear friend."
Wiley alleged that after making "false claims" against him, Awuah-Darko has "deleted thousands of Instagram posts that didn't fit his narrative."
He went on to claim that the Ghanaian artist allegedly conspired with another man with whom Wiley also had a "brief consensual encounter" in 2021 and who sought a more serious relationship with him.
In his post, Wiley included purported screenshots of messages from this second man, who was labeled "Dwreck" on his phone.
"I miss your company. I want to see you again," read one of the several alleged messages sent by Dwreck in September and October 2021.
Wiley concluded his post by claiming that both men "wanted far more" from him than he was willing to give and urging the public to look at his accusers' possible motivations for allegedly committing "character assassination."
Earlier this week, Black Lives Matter co-founder Derrick Ingram -- who also goes by "Dwreck" -- alleged on Instagram that Wiley raped him at the artist's New York apartment on Sept. 10, 2021, during their four-month relationship.
Ingram also claimed that Wiley allegedly offered him drugs such as cocaine and meth and asked him to sign a non-disclosure agreement regarding their encounter -- both of which he said he refused.
Ingram added that he had been reluctant to come forward with his allegations and was still going to therapy over the alleged incident.
But he said he was now standing with other alleged victims of Wiley, including Awuah-Darko, and would be filing a lawsuit against the artist.
In his own post, Awuah-Darko alleged that Wiley repeatedly grabbed his buttocks without his permission when they first met before sexually assaulting him later that night.
Awuah-Darko claimed that it took him "several months to reconcile what had actually happened to me" and that the alleged incident "almost destroyed" him.
