Mickalene Thomas depicts African-American women in intimate household settings using acrylic paint, enamel, and rhinestones. The many decorative patterns of the clothing, blankets, wall coverings and upholstery are mainly inspired by the artist's cultural identity and her memories of growing up in the 70s. Other sources of inspiration for Thomas's work are women, including her mother, 70s icons, and those depicted in print advertisements, album covers and art history. Thomas investigates her self-image, eroticism, black female celebrity and the marketing of black urban identity. Her work celebrates and critiques black narrative symbols of gender and sexual behaviour.
Space 4 will present a series of paintings and photographs which reveal the fascinating world of this artist. At the far end of this space La Conservera has produced an installation in situ which recreates her grandmother's parlour in the 1970s, a type of scene which the artist often creates and constructs as a setting for her photographs. In the upper room of Space 4 a series of video paintings will be presented.
La Conservera has published a catalogue for this exhibition with texts by Isolde Brielmaier and Ivan Lopez Munuera.