It was using a voice that I didn't know that I had in this work. It was being expressive and just talking about some of the disparities on black bodies and police brutality over a period of time that questions 'how far are we come from this and have we really changed' and 'why are we still here at this point?
Mickalene Thomas
Time-limited edition
Edition of 276Mickalene Thomas presents a rousing portrait of race in the USA.
Originally created in 2017, Resist spans nearly a century of African American history. Mickalene appropriates photojournalistic imagery that centres on moments of racist violence such as the Tulsa Race Massacre (1921), and police dogs attacking a civil rights protestor in Birmingham Alabama (1963). Alongside the brutality she interjects symbols of Black resistance, like protestors bearing ‘freedom’ placards and a portrait of writer and activist James Baldwin. With Resist, Mickalene connects her work to this lineage of freedom fighters.
Mickalene’s technique of overlapping photographs lends itself to the medium of silkscreen printing. As a print, Resist also asks us to consider how news and histories are disseminated. This edition extends that call beyond the confines of a single work, taking Mickalene’s overtly political message to homes around the world.
