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Mickalene Thomas

Put A Little Sugar In My Bowl

May 8June 12, 2010

This image illustrates a link to the exhibition titled Mickalene Thomas: Put A Little Sugar In My Bowl

Images

Installation view of "Mickalene Thomas: Put A Little Sugar In My Bowl," 2010 Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects, Culver City, CA

Installation view of "Mickalene Thomas: Put A Little Sugar In My Bowl," 2010 Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects, Culver City, CA

Installation view of "Mickalene Thomas: Put A Little Sugar In My Bowl," 2010 Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects, Culver City, CA

Installation view of "Mickalene Thomas: Put A Little Sugar In My Bowl," 2010 Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects, Culver City, CA

Installation view of "Mickalene Thomas: Put A Little Sugar In My Bowl," 2010 Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects, Culver City, CA

This image depicts an artwork by Mickalene Thomas titled "Love's Been Good To Me #1." This artwork was created in 2010 and measures 96" x 72" [HxW] (243.84 x 182.88 cm). Its medium is Rhinestones, acrylic and enamel on wood panel.

Mickalene Thomas
"Love's Been Good To Me #1," 2010

This image depicts an artwork by Mickalene Thomas titled "Love's Been Good To Me #2." This artwork was created in 2010 and measures 96" x 72" [HxW] (243.84 x 182.88 cm). Its medium is Rhinestones, acrylic and enamel on wood panel.

Mickalene Thomas
"Love's Been Good To Me #2," 2010

This image depicts an artwork by Mickalene Thomas titled "Love's Been Good To Me #3." This artwork was created in 2010 and measures 96" x 72" [HxW] (243.84 x 182.88 cm). Its medium is Rhinestones, acrylic and enamel on wood panel.

"Love's Been Good To Me #3," 2010

This image depicts an artwork by Mickalene Thomas titled "You're Gonna Give Me the Love I Need." This artwork was created in 2010 and measures 96" x 144"  [HxW] (243.84 x 365.76 cm). Its medium is Rhinestones, acrylic and enamel on wood panel.

Mickalene Thomas
“You're Gonna Give Me the Love I Need,” 2010

This image depicts an artwork by Mickalene Thomas titled "I Learned the Hard Way." This artwork was created in 2010 and measures 120" x 96" [HxW] (304.8 x 243.84 cm). Its medium is Rhinestones, acrylic and enamel on wood panel.

Mickalene Thomas
“I Learned the Hard Way,” 2010

Mickalene Thomas "I'm Not the Woman You Think I Am," 2010

Mickalene Thomas
"I'm Not the Woman You Think I Am," 2010

This image depicts an artwork by Mickalene Thomas titled "She Ain't A Child No More." This artwork was created in 2010 and measures 84" x 96". Its medium is Rhinestones, acrylic and enamel on wood panel.

Mickalene Thomas
“She Ain't A Child No More,” 2010

This image depicts an artwork by Mickalene Thomas titled "I'll Still Be True." This artwork was created in 2010 and measures 72" x 72". Its medium is Rhinestones, acrylic and enamel on wood panel.

Mickalene Thomas
“I'll Still Be True,” 2010

This image depicts an artwork by Mickalene Thomas titled "Portrait of Qusuquzah #3." This artwork was created in 2010 and measures 60" x 48". Its medium is Rhinestones, acrylic and enamel on wood panel.

Mickalene Thomas
“Portrait of Qusuquzah #3,” 2010

This image depicts an artwork by Mickalene Thomas titled "Portrait of Lady Blue #2." This artwork was created in 2010 and measures 48" x 36". Its medium is Rhinestones, acrylic and enamel on wood panel.

Mickalene Thomas
“Portrait of Lady Blue #2,” 2010

Press Release

Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects is pleased to present a solo exhibition of new paintings by Mickalene Thomas in the main gallery spaces.

In her second exhibition at the gallery, Thomas presents a series of larger than life portraits of black women posing in exuberant surroundings of boldly patterned fabrics and visually overflowing interiors. Using glossy enamels and sparkling rhinestones to build her colorful surfaces, Thomas situates her subjects with unabashed gusto in art-historical poses traditionally reserved for white women. In comparison to earlier works, Thomas engages more freely with the composition by breaking up the representational space into discreet layers, complicating the play between figure and ground. Moving further toward abstraction and fracturing the picture plane, these new portraits depict a more complex psychological and representational space. And yet the work always comes back to the women: the way each one engages with the artist during the photo shoot and how Thomas works to communicate their particular sensuality and self-possession in the paintings.

Mickalene Thomas received her MFA from Yale University in 2002. She was invited for residencies at the Studio Museum in Harlem, NY, and Yale Norfolk Summer of Music and Art, Norfolk, CT. Her work has been featured in solo exhibitions at La Conservera: Centro de Arte Contemporaneo, Murcia, Spain; at Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Chicago, and at Lehmann Maupin Gallery, New York. She has been included in “Posing Beauty” Newark Museum, Newark, NJ, and University of Southern California’s Fisher Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA; “Pattern ID”, Akron Art Museum, Akron, OH; in “Extended Family: Contemporary Connections”, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY; in “Dress Codes”, The Third ICP Triennial of Photography and Video, International Center of Photography, New York, NY; in “Undercover: Performing and Transforming Black Female Identities”, The Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, Atlanta, GA; in “30 Americans”, Rubell Family Collection, Miami, FL; in “Black Is, Black Ain’t”, The Renaissance Society, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL; in “Frequency”, Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY; and in “Greater New York 2005”, P.S.1/MoMA, Long Island City, NY. Her work is currently featured in the window at the Modern at MoMA, New York and is the third “On-Site” installation at PS1, Long Island City, New York. She is preparing a solo exhibition at the Santa Monica Museum of Art for 2012.

Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects has moved. The new address is 6006 Washington Blvd in Culver City, 1 block west of La Cienega at Sentney Avenue. Gallery parking is available in the parking lot across the street from the gallery off of Sentney Avenue. Gallery Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 11 am – 6 pm and by appointment.