We don’t have enough stamps in our passport to keep up with Kehinde Wiley.  He’s been around then world, and each time he’s blessed us with more awe-inspiring paintings of black men. He temporarily settles in locales around the globe, absorbs as much of the local culture as he can, and then incorporates his findings into his work.  His work, by the way, is God-given talent, and almost exclusively and unabashedly focused on the splendor and swagger of black men.  And he does it while incorporating art history references in a move that affirms the ability to be young, urban and black and stake claim in the world of ‘high-brow’ art.  For “The World Stage: Africa, Lagos-Dakar”, Kehinde hung out in Senegal and Nigeria, gained inspiration from monuments honoring the end of colonialism, and met the subjects of his paintings (he paints real people in inspired settings).  The Lagos-Dakar exhibit precedes installments of the project in Brazil and Turkey, and succeeds the first location, China.  There is something to be said for the ability to BupGrade the world’s perception of our people through modern art, and once you stand in front of one of Wiley’s massive (up to 8ft by 6 ft) paintings and take it all in, you’ll understand. “The World Stage: Africa, Lagos - Dakar” is currently on display at the Studio Museum of Harlem until October 26th.  Don’t worry-his work is everywhere.  Check Kehinde Wiley’s site for more information.  (photo)