Portrait by Jon Jenkins, 2023. Courtesy of Yancey Richardson from the gallery exhibition je t'adore, 2023.

Musée is honored to have Mickalene Thomas on the cover of Issue 29: Evolution. Her show Michalene Thomas: All About Love is at The Broad Museum May 25–September 29, 2024.

LUXI HE: In your new body of works, your previous signature painting, photography, glitter-contouring and embellishment all come together in the form of a collage. It feels like a macro reference to your previous work, a self-retrospection, an index, and an organic dictionary where we seem to be viewing this new body of work but also all your previous works all at once. Do you think this is a landmark of how time has allowed an artist to have full command of all the media and techniques she will work with? And, as the visual reference has expanded beyond art history and reached the self-domain, do you think this echoing, this self-retrospection is your new way of being present in your own work?

MICKALENE THOMAS: All the key elements and themes of my artistic practice intentionally collide in my new body of works, resulting in photo collages that offer unexplored perspectives while bridging our past and present. Finding transformative ways of self-perception and the need to see myself in others is at the core of my work.

COVER IMAGE: MIckalene Thomas, *NUS Exotiques #2*, 2023. Courtesy of Yancey Richardson from the gallery exhibition je t'adore, 2023.

LUXI: As you once poetically put it, “to see yourself, and for others to see you, is a form of validation. I’m very interested in that very mysterious way we relate to each other in the world.” Your work not only examines the relation, but also intervenes with the relation by creating new “selves” to see and to be seen as we look at the newly-invented subject also looking back at us. Is this a deliberate move to always have in your work an eye, a gaze we as viewers cannot escape from?

MICKALENE: My collages function as mirrors able to reflect multiple realities simultaneously, creating an intimate, personal connection with the viewer while questioning how we relate to each other. My work forces us to understand how our histories, perspectives, and experiences inevitably coexist. Whether we acknowledge it or not, we are everyone. How we exist as individuals is deeply influenced by those around us. The people that we see in the world, we too are them.

Mickalene Thomas, *September 1981*, 2023. Courtesy of Yancey Richardson from the gallery exhibition je t'adore, 2023.

LUXI: We are talking in the context of an issue themed “Evolution,” and this is an apt metaphor through which we can interpret and reinterpret your work from the past decade. In your collage work, there are visual elements of Black women gathered, created from all ages, offering viewers a glance of the evolution of black femininity and sexuality. Meanwhile, on the other side of the presentation, there seems to be a reference to the traditional evolution of female’s images as dominated by European aesthetics and based on a silence and marginalization of Black femininity. What do you think is the function of your collage works in terms of representing the evolution of both the imagery of Black femininity and the traditional, European aesthetics?

MICKALENE: In the effort to challenge the white-male gaze within the history of art, my collage works empower black women and celebrate our bodies in the most bold yet unfiltered way possible. There is a tendency to compartmentalize the notion of what the Black body is, ignoring the complexities and historical journeys behind the body image of women of the African diaspora. I want the viewers to realize how we were being seen, or how we were being looked at, contextualizing the beauty of the Black body as perceived today.

LUXI: Evolution, as smooth as the word may sound, is a concept with a misleading image of a mono-direction, forward progression, even though the biological evolution, the evolution of history and culture have exemplified to us how it can also register a zigzag, a circular, or even regressive pattern. Collage, the African tribal art that nowadays plays a significant role in Black representation, seems to be a very effective way of expressing the contorted, complicated aspect of evolution. Can you please introduce to us the understanding of evolution and progression behind the collage art?

MICKALENE: Collage art played a key role in documenting how Black history holds stories of oppression and marginalization, but also pride and innovation. Historically, the multi-layered nature of the medium helped artists capture the complexities of Black identity, providing a powerful platform to reclaim our narratives and culture. Today, collage art continues to evolve in the need to celebrate Black representation, investigating how we are seen and heard within the broader socio-political landscape.

I want the viewers to realize how we were being seen, or how we were being looked at, contextualizing the beauty of the Black body as perceived today

LUXI: How do you feel your voice as an artist has evolved? You have acknowledged Carrie Mae Weems as a particular influence in your creative practice. Are there other artists or exhibits that stand out in your memory as particular points of inspiration?

MICKALENE: Yes, I have acknowledged Carrie Mae Weems as a defining moment for me and my artistic career. Seeing her show in Portland titled “Kitchen Table Series” in the mid-nineties at the Portland Museum of Art helped me become the artist I am today. The collection of photographs each convey love, vulnerability, and self-reflection within Black families. Weems is a Black woman herself, and the series instantly resonated with me. Other artists formidable to my creative journey include Romare Bearden, Faith Ringgold, and LaMonte McLemore. Similarly, writers like bell hooks, Nikki Giovanni, and Toni Morrison, as well as models and activists such as Eartha Kitt, Nina Simone, Donyale Luna and Ophelia DeVore are people who have continuously inspired me.

LUXI: Erotic beauty has always been a central theme in your portrayal of Black femininity, and powerfully it functions as a bodily expression of women’s agency. However, in the intellectual background of your works, we can also notice that there lies a series of complicated discussions about erotic beauty – whether it is an expression of agency, of passivity, or of the changing roles in power dynamics. We would like to know how the understanding of erotic beauty has evolved in your works in the past two decades, and how do they give responses to the changing rhetoric about erotic beauty?

MICKALENE: My work challenges society’s traditional notions of erotica and sensuality, especially when it comes to Black femininity and nudity. The Black female characters depicted in my work stand fearlessly, often posing with a strong erotic allure to reclaim their power. They are unapologetic, confident, and intentionally sensual. They assert their status and challenge oppressive narratives.

Mickalene Thomas, *Cover 1981*, 2023. Courtesy of Yancey Richardson from the gallery exhibition je t'adore, 2023.

LUXI: Your upcoming exhibition at the Broad titled “All About Love" deeply intertwines with bell hooks's key theory about love. How has your artistic journey been a means to embody and express this concept of love as a force of healing and empowerment?

MICKALENE: Through my work, I aim to subvert art history to reclaim notions of love, desire and sexuality within notions of beauty. I am constantly drawing inspiration from representations of intergenerational female empowerment, autobiography, memory, and the tenets of Black feminist theoretical writings. Authors and academics such as Kimberlé Crenshaw and Patricia Collins have always provided supportive context for my work in particular. Additionally, of course, bell hooks, whose acclaimed 2000 essay collection, All About Love, is the inspiration for the title of my global exhibition. Portraiture, specifically the framing of the images of black portraiture, has shaped my visual narrative to understand myself as a Black woman in America. This exhibition explores how my work draws on relationships and collaborations of family, love, self-expression, vulnerability and joy. My personal creative lens challenges the notions of how conventional healing and empowerment appear for Black women. We are oftentimes refrained in emotional processing and generally seen as those who cannot offer that state of luxury. Subsequently, we are to adhere to a detrimental narrative. The exhibition is therefore to be a love letter to sit in our feelings, reside in the empowerment of the liberated excellence having formed our country’s sensibility of desire, and luxuriate in our brilliance. We recognize our hard work and see ourselves beyond labor and instead as cultivators, changemakers, and contributors to the discourses that shape this world.

LUXI: Congratulations on your project "Art>Forward.” Can you speak to how your project came about, and how you see it evolving in the future?

MICKALENE: Mentorship has always anchored and provided me a sense of gratification. It’s one of the most important aspects of my career. As an artist, I believe that mentorship is vital to our development and I want to make sure to pass on any information and experiences I develop to the next generation of artists. "Art>FORWARD" emerged from an extreme need and desire to cultivate artists for knowledge and empowerment. Initially, there was Pratt>FORWARD, an initiative co-founded by me and Jane South, the Chair of Fine Arts at Pratt Institute. Like "Art>FORWARD," Pratt strives to empower emerging artists with the most innovative practices for navigating the art world. Ultimately, my vision is to expand Art>FORWARD as a model within art institutions in as many cities and universities globally.

Issue 29 Contents