This limited edition skate deck set features paintings from Wiley's 2008 series DOWN, first exhibited at Deitch Projects. This series was inspired by Hans Holbein the Younger's The Dead Christ in the Tomb as well as historical paintings and sculptures of fallen warriors and figures in the state of repose. Wiley created an unsettling series of prone Black bodies, re-conceptualizing classical pictorial forms to create a contemporary version of monumental portraiture, resounding with violence, pain, and death, as well as ecstasy. With DOWN being a prime inspiration, over a decade later in 2022, Kehinde Wiley exhibited his series An Archeology of Silence at Foundazione Giorgio Cini as a collateral event of the 59th international art exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. The exhibition has since traveled to de Young Legion of Honor / Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and is currently showing at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

From left to right:

Sleep, 2008

Morpheus, 2008

Femme Piquée Par Un Serpent, 2008

Christian Martyr Tarcisius, 2008

-Cotton dust bag included in every order

-Hand-numbered, editions of 400 (Only 50 sets available)

-100% sustainably sourced hard rock maple

- 8"W x 31.875 L

Designed in New York City. Made in Oceanside.

This limited edition skate deck features Kehinde Wiley’s 2008 painting Sleep, reimagined from Jean-Bernard Restout’s 1771 painting of the same name. With luminously painted skin, draped in funerary-like cloth with his feet crossed atop a wooden plank, Wiley personifies his model to reflect the theological narratives permeating throughout his oeuvre. In an attempt to differentiate his works from the singular figure studies of his time, Restout included wings and poppies to his subject, composing a larger narrative beyond the skill of the artist's hand. Although Wiley's rendition deliberately focuses on the physicality of his human subject alone, it simultaneously ushers in the weight of art history behind it, and it’s undeniable exclusion of black bodies.

This limited edition skate deck features Kehinde Wiley's 2008 painting Morpheus, reimagined from the Jean-Antoine Houdon 1777 marble sculpture of the same name. Feautred in the 2008 exhibition DOWN at Deitch Projects, the series references and re-conceptualizes classic pictorial forms of heroism in the face of death. Morpheus features a model from Brooklyn, lain across a while sheet while florals from the background spring into life around his body. Unlike its 18th century counterpart, he addresses onlookers with direct eye contact and a seductive look of invitation, with the repeating floral background protruding into the foreground.

This limited edition skate deck features Kehinde Wiley's 2008 painting, Femme Piquée Par Un Serpent Study III from his notable series, DOWN. This unique deck showcases the artist's reinterpretation of Auguste Clésinger’s 1847 sculpture of the same title, with Wiley's distinctive touch. Wiley's 2008 painting brings this iconic image to life on a high-quality skateboard deck, capturing the essence of vulnerability and sensuality. The central figure, clad in blue jeans, an orange hoodie, and a gold chain, reclines on a linen-clothed table, head tilted towards the viewer in a provocative stance. The exposed underwear hints at the vulnerability and eroticism of being off one's feet, turning a seemingly powerless moment into a bold artistic statement.

This limited edition skate deck features Kehinde Wiley's 2008 painting titled Christian Martyr Tarcisius, first exhibited in his series DOWN at Deitch Projects in 2008. The series was originally inspired by Hans Holbein the Younger's The Dead Christ in the Tomb as well as historical paintings and sculptures of fallen warriors and figures in the state of repose, Wiley created an unsettling series of prone Black bodies, re-conceptualizing classical pictorial forms to create a contemporary version of monumental portraiture, resounding with violence, pain, and death, as well as ecstasy.