The evolution of an artist who has always claimed her own spaces.
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Your work hits with an incredible retinal punch.
Its brazen, confident, aggressive, power-infused, experimental, and loaded with high-keyed color.
Why you havent ever been included in a Whitney Biennial?
When they think Mickalene Thomas, theyre thinking of portraiture.
Theyre not looking at all the different bodies of work that I work within.
From photography to collage, to installation, performance, creating immersive spaces, video, and film.
I think most curators are lazy.
Theres not enough risk-taking.
Theyre staying confined, choosing artists that seem safe.
My work isnt easy.
In truth, being in a Whitney Biennial is not something I aspire to.
I took that off my list a long time ago.
It doesnt give me inspiration to get into my studio every day.
It doesnt allow me to generate ideas.
I propose these questions formally and compositionally.
And Im interested in boxing with those.
You never stay in your own lane.Thats too easy.
I like to feel uncomfortable.
I like to feel that theres a mystical aspect to the work thats kind of out of my control.
I allow the work to organically evolve.
Of course, I have to sometimes say,Youve done this too many times.
You have to allow yourself to push up against your own work to create something new.
This strikes me as a way of saying to newer artists, No need to apply.
Problem solved.Painting will never die.
Painting absorbs everything, every tool.
Most painting is about who we are.
We want to see ourselves multiplied even more.
At the time, I was not working in a large scale.
It was a challenge.
I was very excited about that multi-layering of historical art figures from Manet and Matisse.
I didnt see the painting fully installed until it was installed at MoMA.
How was it made?
What was the process?
I use collage as a way of understanding how to construct the work and the space.
Who owns this painting?It was unfortunate.
MoMA was supposed to buy it.
They reserved it for about four years.
And then they decided not to buy it.
Im not putting you on the spot, but why?
Often, its because you dont have people who look like me in the room sitting at the table.
What about the suggestiveposes?Its about Black women claiming a space.
Making theLe Dejeunergave me the validation and the courage to start making nude paintings on a larger scale.
Its about how the viewer is confronted with the sitter.
Was it well received in 2010?No.
People were apprehensive, like, What is she making?
One incredible collector bought it and donated it to the Brooklyn Museum.
And you dont paint Black bodies in pain and torture.No.
Im not interested in trauma, not that trauma doesnt deserve space and recognition.
Were looked at as laborers.
Were looked at as workers.
Were looked at as the caretakers.
Were not looking at us in a state of rest.
We had diversity, equity, inclusion.
Now were going to remove these because we dont need it anymore.
Its a limited scope.
The needle moves a little, then we default back to our bad behavior.
When you think about Planned Parenthood, bodily autonomy, womens bodies why are we even having these conversations?
We should be so further ahead in our society, and were not.
How do you think this might apply to your work?Theres a major problem here.
Nobody ever asks me, What identity are you?
But youre forced to answer, Are you a Black artist?
Are you a queer artist?
Are you all of them?Im just an artist.
I am all of those things.
There are often times where I have to represent one of them.
Its not because of you.
Were only here for a brief time.
Dont stay in your lane.No.
I think that would be my advice to a lot of artists in your studios, experiment.
Dont get so fixed.
Dont get so focused on an idea.
Challenge yourself, because the outside worlds not going to challenge you.
You have to be your own critic.
You have to get your own train off your tracks and make a different turn.
You have to do those things.
Its come back into my work.
I want to do a video.
I want to do film.
I want to do sculpture.
