Mickalene
Thomas

Redefining portraiture, especially in the realm of photography, Thomas crafted dynamic, large-scale portrayals that celebrate and empower her subjects who are primarily Black women. Drawing inspiration from jazz, hip-hop, and avant-garde art, Thomas creates works that juxtapose, intersect, and reconstruct art historical narratives. Her portraits are not merely representations but powerful re-creations of spaces where her sitters are adorned, recognised, and celebrated.

Thomas’s work goes beyond mere representation—it’s a celebration of beauty, power, and identity, particularly of Black women. Her artworks are acts of love and gratitude, reflecting a deep respect for her subjects and a desire to uplift them. Thomas’s curatorial and mentoring activities develop this approach, as seen in her exhibition Portrait of an Unlikely Space at Yale University Art Gallery. Through these endeavours, Thomas reclaims and recontextualises historical imagery. The exhibition's intimate, domestic setting serves as both a tribute and a conversation between eras, highlighting the importance of community, representation, and the responsibility of the artist to both preserve and reinterpret history.

Celebrated for her photography and painting, Thomas often blends the two mediums to create complex, multi-layered works. Her approach to art is rooted in the intersection of reality and fantasy, where the tangible qualities of photography meet the imaginative possibilities of painting. Her recent exhibition, Je t’adore at Yancey Richardson, showcased 13 large-scale mixed media photo collages inspired by Black female erotica from Jet magazine and 1950s French publication Nus Exotique. These works, rich in materiality, feature layered elements printed on metal, highlighted by her signature use of rhinestones, and draw attention to the fluidity of identity and the celebration of Black female beauty.