Rich Peter

Rich Peter 2022. 

Mixed media: Acrylic, joint compound, clay, beads, jewelry, etc on canvas. 

40x 65" | 101.6 x 165.1cm

After seeing Viola Davis on the cover of Vanity Fair, photographed by Dario Calmese—inspired by the'[ historic image of “Whipped Peter”—I couldn’t stop thinking about legacy. I began imagining the future of Peter: not wounded, but wealthy, rested, and fully sovereign.

Rich Peter embodies that vision. I worked with a local model whose strength, fullness, and presence contrasted the malnourished image we know. Resting on a golden seat inspired by the Ashanti stool of coronation, adorned in gold and diamonds, he is not just royal—he is prosperous. His locs, worn without apology, speak to freedom and masculinity on his own terms.

The background is layered with gold leaf, leather, beads, clay, and string—materials my community described as masculine. Hidden within the patterned triangles are typed responses from Black men I asked about their hopes, self-love, and what they want the world to understand about them.

This painting reimagines survival as inheritance—and rest as wealth.

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