February 11, 2025 |
Mickalene Thomas is an artist with a higher purpose. Inspired by the pillars of Black feminist theory – bell hooks, Kimberlé Crenshaw and Patricia Collins all hold essential space on Thomas’ bookshelf – the American artist is bringing her powerful, unapologetic depictions of Black women to London’s Hayward Gallery at Southbank Centre. Opening today and running until May 5, the presentation, which uses its title, Mickalene Thomas: All About Love, to reference hooks’s impactful 2000 book, marks the first time Thomas has had a solo exhibition in a public gallery in the UK.
Visually, Thomas’ work is rooted in the use of loud patterns and vibrant colours that provide context for portraits of Black women that feel equally like love letters as they do works of art. These considered choices speak to her desire to uproot, tear up and restructure how beauty is defined in the West, positioning the Black female gaze as the core. Intended to empower and inform about the experience of Black womanhood and sexuality, Thomas’ work also specifically investigates themes of rest, leisure and radical self-care. In turn, Thomas has not just become a force in the art world, but in fashion and music too, designing album covers like Solange’s True and collaborating with Maria Grazia Chiuri on custom prints for Dior’s SS23 couture show. A comprehensive collation, the Hayward Gallery exhibit includes collages, photography, videography and immersive installations from across Thomas’ impressive career.
Here we speak to Thomas about the display, what she felt the most challenged by and what she wants viewers to take away. Tickets for Mickalene Thomas: All About Love are on sale now. Secure yours here.
What inspired the pieces that are included in your new exhibition, All About Love?
I’m often inspired by intergenerational female empowerment, autobiographies, memories, and Black feminist theories and writings. Artists like Kimberlé Crenshaw and Patricia Collins have been especially influential. bell hooks has had a particularly profound impact on me. Her notable books, Art On My Mind, and the exhibition’s title, All About Love, are inspired by her 2000 essay collection.
This global exhibition explores how my work draws on relationships centred around family, love, self-expression, vulnerability and joy. My personal creative lens challenges conventional notions of healing and empowerment, desire and self-love. This exhibition is a love letter to all Black women – it allows them to embrace their vulnerability, strength, and beauty with a liberated sense of excellence, influence and brilliance. We must recognise ourselves as cultivators, changemakers and contributors to the discourses that shape our world.
Is there a piece in the exhibition that you felt the most proud of, and why?
There’s a piece in the exhibition that I feel the proudest of and it’s called Mama Bush You Keep Lifting Me Higher and Higher. It’s a painting based on the photograph and collage that represents the love, vulnerability and strength of my mother as she persevered through the obstacles and challenges of her illness. The light of her life and friends [was present] throughout my life. It’s a visual representation of the strength and resilience that Black women have.
Is there a piece in the exhibition that you felt the most challenged by, and why?
I think the most challenging piece is the Me As Muse video, a mixed-media immersive installation. It is presented as a self-portrait on 12 monitors that depict the artist reclined in the nude. [It radicalises] the black female body, juxtaposed against iconic images of Western notions of beauty. Eartha Kitt’s interview from the Terry Wogan Show, November 15, 1989, a performance of [The Eartha Kitt song] I Want To Be Evil is integrated into the narration. In the audio, she talks vulnerably about her life and painful transformation from Eartha Mae to Eartha Kitt.
Can you explain a bit more about the techniques you use to create your pieces?
I use a variety of techniques to create my pieces. Some of my techniques include collage, printmaking and photography. I also use digital tools, such as Photoshop and Illustrator. I’m constantly experimenting with new techniques and materials, like AI, and I’m always looking for ways to improve my work.
My signature technique is layered and complicated, even if I am using my own photographic resources or archival images. My main techniques of silkscreen and collage allow for the disruptive and playful integration of painting and photography. The addition of rhinestones creates a sense of pleasure, seduction and light. Collage is an intricate means of discovery and exploration for all my ideas and a way of learning and unlearning systems. It helps me anchor and make sense of my composition and the narrative around the work. With this technique, I can peel back and rebuild layers throughout the process to reach my core idea. I like to be provocative and bold with my use of colour as well because it sets the tone for what I am trying to communicate.
What do you want viewers to take away from All About Love?
Love transforms us, and I hope viewers understand this notion as they explore the exhibition. As we learn in All About Love by bell hooks, love is a verb, not a noun. We often think of it as just an emotion but love in all its forms is about listening and giving back. How much of what you love about yourself and give of yourself is up to you. I want the viewer to be consumed and walk into the work and not be able to divert their gaze because of the monumentality and beauty of all these incredible Black women.
What impact do you want your work to have in the wider art industry?
As an artist, I can radically disrupt and shift narratives for present and future generations. My work is about Black women claiming space and I can depict their beauty, femininity, desire and power to liberate cultural oppression and marginalisation. I want to make Black identity, femininity, queerness and transgressiveness more visible.
You’ve teamed up with Dior multiple times over the years – what is your favourite thing about working with the house and why is the crossover of art and fashion important to you?
Fashion has become a fusion of many different mediums and I am excited to participate in its evolution through my collaborations with Dior. Together, we can start new creative dialogues that celebrate beauty and elegance, embracing complex female narratives.
The Dior collaboration allows me to broaden the demographic of my work and present positive narratives about Black women to a wider global audience. There’s a mutual respect and understanding for quality, talent, artistic craft and luxury.
I think as you grow as an artist, you must be open and willing to expand and explore new relationships for the trajectory of your work to be successful. The engagement of your work should not be one dimensional – it’s important for me that my work is expansive and accessible to a diverse group of audiences otherwise it becomes difficult to create impact or inspire. Collaborating closely with Dior and its team is one way that allows me to achieve this goal.
What’s next in store for you?
I just launched For the People, a limited-edition collection with Marfa Stance where I reimagined the brand’s iconic reversible raincoat and hood with hand-selected surplus fabrics. For the campaign, we celebrated individuality and personal style by featuring a curated group of leading creatives and friends who embody the spirit of the pieces. A portion of the proceeds from sales will be donated to the LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund.
I’m also working on a new project with a motorcar initiative that is female-led and aims to elevate the achievements of women in the male-dominated field and merge it with fine art. Working with athletes is another way to help elevate females, expose art to new audiences, and ultimately reshape history.
Photography courtesy of The Hayward Gallery.
