Afro goddess really provides a sense of validation of beauty and owning my space - claiming these notions of who you are in the world and how you see yourself. For most paintings in the Western canon, the discourse is all about the gaze. So I wanted that to be the focal point with the painting, for the viewer to know that the eyes will hold and engage with them, but they can't divert, no matter which way they look.
Mickalene Thomas
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Mickalene Thomas is her own muse in a tableaux exploring self love.
As the Afro Goddess, Mickalene reclines on a couch haloed by her sparkling afro. The portrait centres on the unwavering gaze of the artist’s eyes – cut and pasted from a black and white self-portrait. The bold patterns on her clothes give way to a collaged backdrop that hints at a luxurious interior. Mickalene shrouds her image in the power that Black women are historically excluded from.
Afro Goddess Looking Forward is an early example of Mickalene’s now iconic visual language that blends printmaking, painting, and collage techniques. This faithful edition meticulously translates the original into an 8 layer silkscreen, embellished with glitters to emphasise the iridescence of her hair and clothes.
