Columbia College Chicago
618 S. Michigan Ave, 2nd Floor
This event has passed.
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Mickalene Thomas, Lovely Six Foota, 2007, C-Print
- When
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Thursday Mar 18, 2010 (6pm)
- Where
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- Price
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“Mickalene Thomas is best known for rhinestone-encrusted paintings of statuesque African-American women in settings brimming with brash patterns and wood paneling, evoking both '70s Blaxploitation films and art-historical figure paintings. Less discussed is the central role of photography in her practice. In addition to exhibiting large-scale photos as final works in themselves, Thomas also photographs models in her vivid, staged environments to provide visual templates for her paintings (by way of projected collages). In a 2009 exhibition she even underlined this process in videos presented alongside three small paintings. We can hope to hear more about this aspect of her work tonight when Thomas speaks at the joint invitation of multiple departments at Columbia College Chicago.”
Karsten Lund, Flavorpill
Columbia College says:
[Mickalene Thomas's] depictions of African-American women explore notions of black female celebrity and identity while romanticizing ideas of femininity and power. Reminiscent of '70s-style Blaxploitation, the subjects in Thomas' paintings radiate sexuality. Women in provocative poses sprawl across the picture plane and are surrounded by kitschy decorative patterns inspired by her childhood.
