December 2018 toronto life 139© mickalene thomas / socan (2018)A Hindi dance
tribute
dAnce^ |^ The World of Jahanara^
Dec. 1, Aga Khan Museum
5
A female-focused
portrait series
ART
Mickalene Thomas:
Femmes Noires
Nov. 29 to March 24, AGOBest known as the artist who painted
the first official portrait of Michelle
Obama, Mickalene Thomas
challenges how black women have
been depicted throughout history.
Her subjects range from celebrities
to family members, and the materials
she uses are just as diverse: a mix
of rhinestones, acrylic and enamel
fusing into richly textured, vibrantly
coloured collages that explore
femininity, beauty and sexuality. A
collaboration with the Contemporary
Arts Center of New Orleans, the
AGO’s Femmes Noires is Thomas’s first
large-scale solo exhibition in Canada.
The multimedia retrospective
highlights her signature collage work
and the movements that inspired it,
including Impressionism, Dada and
the Harlem Renaissance.“Diahann Carroll #2,” 2018.
Silkscreen ink and acrylic
on acrylic mirror mounted
on wood panel. Courtesy
of the artist and Galerie
Nathalie Obadia, Paris/
Brussels.“Portrait of Kalena,” 2017.
Acrylic and oil on wood
panel. Collection of Ursula M.
Burns. Courtesy of Lehmann
Maupin, New York, Hong
Kong and Seoul.“Los Angelitos Negros,” 2016.
Four HD video monitors: four two-channel
HD video, sound. Courtesy of the artist.“Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe:
Les trois femmes
noires,” 2010.
Rhinestones, acrylic and
enamel on panel. The
Rachel and Jean-Pierre
Lehmann Collection.
Courtesy of Lehmann
Maupin, New York, Hong
Kong and Seoul.CULTURE_SEND.indd 139 18-10-30 4:33 PM