Mickalene Thomas is a baaaaaaaaad sista. She is a talented painter who 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 behavior.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Mickalene Thomas earned her MFA from Yale University, and holds a BFA from Pratt Institute. In 2002-2003 she participated in the Artist-in-Residence program at the Studio Museum in Harlem. Her work has been included in many prominent group exhibitions including Hands on Hands Down and Frequency at the Studio Museum, Greater New York 2005, P.S. 1/MoMa, Wild Girls, Exit Art, New York, NY, and Do You Think I’m Disco, Longwood Art Gallery, Bronx, NY