Mickalene Thomas's current exhibition at The Broad “All About Love” is held from May 25 to September 29, 2024 and co-organized by the Hayward Gallery, London, and The Broad, Los Angeles, and in partnership with the Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia.  The exhibition encompasses far more than its name suggests, exploring themes of beauty, pride, femininity, and violence. However, love—whether erotic, platonic, existential, familial, self-directed, or defiant—serves as its vibrant core.

Thomas's bold vision centers on the representation of Black women, enhancing portraiture's ability to convey genuine lived experiences and relationships," stated Joanne Heyler, Founding Director of The Broad. "Her work challenges traditional boundaries of technique and material, addressing diverse aspects of culture and society—ranging from beauty and sexuality to politics—while powerfully elevating voices that have historically been marginalized in the art world."

The exhibition begins with two installations featuring faux-wood paneling and a variety of mixed African textiles or mirrors alongside Donna Summer vinyl records. These installations later serve as backdrops for Thomas’s striking large-format photographs of Black women who inspire her. Through her work, Thomas injects the Black female figure into Western art history with both humor and sharp critique, referencing motifs like the Pietà (as seen in La leçon d’amour, 2008) and nodding to the semi-nudes in Ingres’s Grande Odalisque (1814) and Manet’s Olympia (1863). Her identity as a Black queer woman challenges traditional artist-model dynamics.

As a mid-career retrospective, the exhibition showcases Thomas's mastery across various media over the past two decades, including her early collages, the Jet magazine nude calendar, and her mixed-media works Nus Exotiques. It also features her recent neon piece, Jet Blue #45 (Neon, 2024). In the “Wrestler” series, one figure consistently bears her likeness, while others are entangled in a dynamic arrangement of limbs clad in animal prints. Her portraits highlight her skill as a colorist and patternist within a shallow, deconstructed space. Throughout the exhibition, Thomas brilliantly utilizes the rich, tactile qualities of her materials, creating an almost synesthetic experience with the smooth enamel and sparkling rhinestones. Standing before the mesmerizing blue-black halo of Mama Bush (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher (2009), streaked with purple, viewers may feel both overwhelmed and exhilarated.

“All About Love,” named after a collection of essays by feminist writer bell hooks, conveys a hopeful message: that honoring a mother or a movement can be an act of love, that complexity can reflect wholeness, and that a journey may find its resolution. But is it possible? This question seems to encapsulate the mystery that Thomas explores, revealing the dream she harbors.

Sayart / Amia amyngwyen13@gmail.com