Artist Mickalene Thomas has spent the past decade redefining Black portraiture and representation of the Black female body, empowering her subjects to resist objectification while celebrating the allure of their existence. Her portraits are intentionally bold and vibrant, known for their striking colors, intricate patterns and rhinestone embellishments. Thomas draws freely from art history and popular culture, interweaving these influences with the vibrant creative output of the black community, particularly in recent decades. Her work is a profound statement of black identity and resilience, challenging historical narratives that seek to marginalize these voices while creating a vibrant, multi-layered universe that is entirely her own. The traveling career survey “Mikalyn Thomas: All About Love” first debuted at the Broad Museum in Los Angeles before arriving at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia to critical acclaim. Next stops include the Hayward Gallery, London (11 February to 5 May 2025) and Les Abattoirs, Musée-Frac Occitanie Toulouse (13 June to 9 November 2025).
The exhibition at the Barnes Foundation, one of the most renowned collections of modern art in the United States, adds another layer of significance. Thomas’s work is in compelling dialogue with iconic modern art masters from the Barnes Collection, including Monet, Picasso, and Modigliani, creating a fascinating continuum within the tradition of female portraiture body. But Thomas doesn’t just talk; she constructs immersive experiences. Her visual universe transcends the boundaries of the canvas, transforming gallery spaces through installations and custom-designed wallpapers. Visitors are transported into a vibrant world rooted in the energy of black culture in the ’80s and ’90s, where each element works together to amplify her powerful vision.
By reaching out throughout art history, Thomas not only challenges existing narratives but champions innovative visual approaches to pressing issues of race, gender, and identity—particularly when it comes to the depiction of black women. The show highlights how she deftly navigates themes of beauty, desire and sexuality through a unique female perspective, making bold, unapologetic statements while amplifying the power of seduction. Above all, as Thomas herself explains, her work focuses on portraying her subjects as fully realized people – individuals who are seen, understood and valued for their inner beauty, ensuring that they are fully realized as they should be. Be celebrated in your own way.
As the second iteration of Mickalene Thomas’s career-defining survey wraps up in Philadelphia and prepares to launch its third chapter in London, the Observer caught up with the artist to delve deeper into how the exhibition is re- shape our understanding of her practice.
What was the inspiration for the exhibition title “All About Love”?
The title comes from feminist icon Bell Hooks’ book All About Love. I am inspired by the idea that love is an act. It reflects a central theme of my work – how love in all its forms shapes identity, relationships and experiences. It speaks to the complexities of family, community, and even self-love. The title is also a recognition of love as a personal and collective force that heals, empowers and transforms us, but also complicates and challenges us. It’s about embracing the entire spectrum of love—the joys and struggles.
The line between seduction, eroticism, and vulgarity is often a fine line, but your bold portraits celebrate femininity and the seductive qualities of your subjects while emphasizing empowerment, agency, and the relatedness that underlines black femininity. How do you maintain this balance?
I think the difference between seduction, eroticism and vulgarity is subtle, and that’s something that’s very meaningful to me in my work. To me, seduction is an invitation, a subtle way in which the subject interacts with the viewer – there is a special sense of mystery and confidence in it, but it is not aggressive or overly revealing. Porn, on the other hand, is more of a celebration of desire and the body, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be overt. It’s about intimacy and the power of suggestion, not just the act itself.
I think vulgarity often comes from a lack of agency. It’s about objectification and reducing a subject to a mere stereotype or a superficial image with no depth. In my portraits I try to avoid this by focusing on the complexity of my subjects – celebrating and showing them in their full realization, with both strength and vulnerability. From tender to fierce, sensual to down-to-earth, there’s a power in all forms of black femininity, eroticism, and desire. My work is rooted in joy and healing as an act of transformation.
Your multi-layered work often begins with a deep personal connection to your subject and its story. Can you share more about how you choose your subjects and how these connections shape your image-making process?
Maintaining this delicate balance comes from exploring joy, love and joy through my subjects, by creating idealized narratives based on memories of desire. It’s about empowerment and agency – the ability to capture the essence of their identity and how they present themselves to the world. What I hope to convey is that their inner beauty, charm and sensuality are not imposed from the outside – they are inherent in each person and must be celebrated in their own way.
My choice of subject matter is deeply personal and rooted in connections beyond the visual. I’m attracted to strong women who aren’t afraid to convey vulnerability and seduction that resonate with our experiences or the ideas I explore in my experiences—whether it’s the strength and complexity of black women, the intersections of identity Or the power of intimacy and desire. This allowed me to create an image that reflected not only them, but our shared experiences. I try to capture how they look and feel in front of the camera, thinking about their body and wanting to be seen.
See also: The Art World’s Mysterious Outsider: An Interview with Hunter Sloan
I often incorporate elements that represent aspects of their identity or narrative that feel important—the use of symbolic textures, patterns, or ideas of Black family, which allows me to layer different meanings and dimensions into my work. I use collage in particular to blend physical reality with memory and imagination. It’s a way of intertwining the complexities of identity and experience. Themes change in my work as the composition takes shape. I see each portrait as an evolution, an interpretation of how they are seen, celebrated and empowered and how they see themselves.
Your work deftly blends art historical references and pop culture in a playful yet dialectically critical way. Can you share some references from the show?
I’m glad you noticed the interaction in my work. An important part of my practice is blending art history with pop culture, as both are powerful ways of telling stories for me, although they operate in very different realms. Art history provides a foundation—an essential framework for exploring expression, beauty, and power—while popular culture reflects the dynamic, ever-changing landscape in which we live today. By merging the two, I create a space where high culture and low culture can dialogue, challenge each other, and hopefully provide new perspectives.
In this exhibition, you’ll see references to iconic moments in art history, such as 19th-century painting, the Harlem Renaissance, and Afrocentric portraiture. These references speak to my visual path towards representation of African Americans in art, as historically Black women’s bodies have often been marginalized, stereotyped, or seen as exotic. My work also draws heavily on personal memories and experiences – like growing up in a house filled with strong women and lots of love, despite the obstacles and trauma we sometimes faced. To me, beauty is a language of expression—whether it’s watching my grandma get ready for church on Sunday, or weekly moments of transformation like dressing up, going to the hair salon, or family gatherings. These personal moments of love, care and connection greatly influence the way I approach my subjects.
In this exhibition, you crafted layered scenography that transcends the scope of the work to create an environment imbued with nostalgia. Can you elaborate on the site-specific installations and multimedia elements you employed? Will these change as the show travels to new venues?
These installations are intended to provide an opportunity to tell a story and transport the viewer into a layered nostalgic environment based on my childhood memories. There are two installations that represent two different time periods and aim to evoke feelings of familiarity and memory, evoking the structure of my lived experience through the use of elements and symbols that blend personal history with cultural references. These elements are taken from family archival photos, inviting the viewer to engage with the work in a more dynamic family way.
All About Love examines your practice from the early 2000s to the present day. How has your work progressed during this time? Have you left behind any aspects or discovered unexpected developments over the past twenty years?
Over the past two decades, my work has evolved from a focus on personal identity and cultural history to a broader exploration of collective narratives, empowerment, love, joy, and celebration, particularly around Black femininity and beauty.
I have moved away from more traditional portraiture to incorporating multimedia, collage and installation to deepen storytelling. While I abandoned some of my earlier, more rigid conceptual frameworks, I unexpectedly embraced fluidity—allowing the work to evolve organically and engage with new mediums and collaborations. This shift has brought a sense of freedom and expansion to my practice.
“Mikalyn Thomas: All About Love” will be on display at the Barnes Foundation through January 12, 2025.
