Portrait of Yaima Polledo & Isabel Pozo (2023) is an oil on linen work showcasing two regal, seated Cuban women wearing yellow and pink dresses with coordinating hair pieces and headscarves. The subjects are dressed for celebration and they appear entirely at ease. Wiley’s careful application of oil paint allows the light to catch their eyes and cheekbones; the women take center-stage alongside their intricately patterned formalwear. A background of lush greenery and blooming flowers surrounds the subjects and pushes forward, engulfing the viewer, too, as Polledo and Pozo tilt their chins just slightly and make eye contact with their audience. From far away, the public might expect to see European royalty based on the posing alone—yet through this composition Wiley offers something entirely unique. The result is intimate, captivating, and rife with detail. The women wear gold rings and immaculate lace, their open hands beckon; a lone bare foot with rose-gold painted nails appears in the composition, setting the tone for the soiree. (Charles Moore, Brooklyn Rail)

Portrait of Yaima Polledo & Isabel Pozo

Wiley, Kehinde

2023

Artwork Information

  • Title:

    Portrait of Yaima Polledo & Isabel Pozo

  • Artist:

    Wiley, Kehinde

  • Artist Bio:

    American, born 1977

  • Date:

    2023

  • Medium:

    Oil on linen

  • Dimensions:

    108 x 81 inches

  • Credit Line:

    Wichita Art Museum, Museum purchase, American Art Acquisition Fund established by friends and franchisees of Pizza Hut, Inc. in honor of Dan and Frank Carney

  • Object Number:

    2024.1

  • Display:

    Currently on Display