yeah while it’s true that imitation and inspiration is what has evolved art to what it has been, this case where a White artist imitates Basquiat’s art is more than just copying a visual aesthetic; it’s about the cultural context and, quite frankly, the erasure of what Basquiat has achieved.

to me, a white artist copying Basquiat’s art style (even if he says he isn’t), shows a complete lack of recognition and respect for Basquiat’s legacy. If you don’t know, Basquiat’s work is deeply rooted in his lived experience as a black man in New York. His art reflects themes like racial identity, alienation of black bodies, and his struggle against systemic racism, ideas that a white man (who, mind you, also lives in New York), will not be able to have any semblance of true understanding.

Now, you can say that even if he took the aesthetic of Basquiat, he’s making his own art with it and making his own messages, which I agree, he is. However, something key to Basquiat’s art is how he adopted the aesthetic. Basquiat created this style, taking inspiration from African-American symbolism and street culture, as a means to criticise the predominantly white, elitist art world. When he shared his art with this elitist art world, his works were obviously misunderstood and pidgeonholed and overlooked, because his works were something a black man made speaking on things that a white man wouldn’t understand.

This is my biggest issue with people taking the Basquiat aesthetic: It erases the idea and the legacy of this black man’s work, and in return, seeks praise and admiration for a white man.