“Kehinde Wiley is one of the significant Black male artists painting in figuration, continuing to pave the way for younger Black artists. Widely known prior to the unveiling of his presidential portrait of Barack Obama, I felt it necessary to celebrate Wiley through using a larger-than-life scale for this portrait. Behind him is a gradient sky with Strelitzia flowers scattered in the wind, referencing his global travels and roots to Africa and his use of floral depictions in his own paintings.”—Devin Shimoyama
Devan Shimoyama (b. Philadelphia, PA) received his BFA from The Pennsylvania State University in Drawing/Painting and his MFA from Yale University School of Art in Painting/Printmaking. Shimoyama has exhibited throughout the United States and internationally, and has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, New American Paintings (Volume 105 & 116), Vice, Creators Project, Filthy Dreams, and Saatchi Art’s ‘Best of 2014’. His debut solo museum exhibition at the Andy Warhol Museum entitled Cry, Baby ran through March 2019. Devan is full-time faculty at Carnegie Mellon University; he lives and works in Pittsburgh.
Photograph by Chad Batka