The fall is here, you can tell that from the amount of people who gathered around Deitch galleries in Soho Thursday night for the opening of Kehinde Wiley‘s new exhibition, Black Light.

First impressions of Wiley’s works vary wildly. Wiley has been enormously successful since graduating with his Masters from Yale in 2001, and yet his work has its critics. Here exhibiting photography for the first time, Wiley combines photography (black male portraits in somewhat religious poses) with tapestry painted backgrounds. It is reminiscent of paintings of the saints in Latin American countries, or the murals around Bushwick and Bed-Stuy for fallen young men. Wiley’s subjects stare into the camera from slightly above through a light haze, as canonized saints or forgiving heroes. The photographs are carefully styled, with models wearing hip-hop classified caps, tees and accessories, some wearing Etch-a-Sketches on their belts. One hat reads, “Beware of the young doctor and the old barber.” The lips are shining with lip-gloss, the light illuminates the subjects, while the highlights on their faces match the color of the backgrounds.

My friend called Wiley’s work “over-styled Urban Outfitters,” the other noted that the “photoshoping” was done rather amateurishly. And, even when I enjoy the idea of “canonizing” black young men “from the hood,” isn’t it a bit cheesey? Once one understands the general idea the work becomes repetitive and none of the numerous photographs really stood out, even though I liked the flowery, 70s print background patterns. In the past Wiley has made similar works, massive paintings with the same general aesthetic, and more than anything I liked the realistic canvas of a model enmeshed in a background pattern. It seemed to require considerably more skill and was more visually appealing.

Kehinde Wiley’s Black Light is at the Deitch Gallery at 76 Grand St. until September 26th.