October 20 – November 25, 2006
Opening reception for the artist, Friday, October 20 th, 5:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Rhona Hoffman Gallery
118 North Peoria Street Chicago, Illinois 60607
Rhona Hoffman Gallery is pleased to present the first solo exhibition of New York-based artist Mickalene Thomas who is rapidly becoming well-known for her evocative paintings which both explore notions of black beauty and power and which romanticize ideas of femininity. This exhibition, Something about you…, is comprised of new paintings, drawings, and photographs.
Mickalene Thomas depicts African American women in intimate household settings using acrylic paint, enamel, and rhinestones. The many decorative patterns of the clothing, blankets, wall coverings and upholstery are mainly inspired by the artist’s cultural identity and her memories of growing up in the 70s.
Other sources of inspiration for Thomas’s work are women, including her mother, 70s icons, and those depicted in print advertisements, album covers and art history. Thomas investigates her self-image, eroticism, black female celebrity, and the marketing of black urban identity. Her work celebrates and critiques black narrative symbols of gender and sexual behavior.