Mickalene Thomas is an artist who has long redefined the landscape of contemporary art by reclaiming the Black female body from the white male gaze. As a Black lesbian American artist, Thomas has crafted a powerful visual language that interrogates the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and beauty. Known for her iconic works that celebrate the complexities of Black womanhood, Thomas’s art challenges societal standards while honoring the rich, multifaceted identities of those often marginalized in mainstream narratives. Thomas’s work also creates an expansive space for the viewer to rethink what it means to be seen, heard, and understood in a world that often demands we fit into rigid, dictating, discriminating, limiting boxes.

Having had the privilege of first featuring Thomas in our issue 13, we later collaborated on our issue 20 cover editorial with actor and director Regina King. Thomas art directed, while I photographed King, and we later worked the images of King into Thomas’s art which was deconstructed and interpreted into our photographs. That same year, Thomas and I worked together to create a limited-edition publication to celebrate her first international solo exhibition, Beyond The Pleasure Principle. The publication of the same name explored the issues and themes Thomas presents in her work. Luminaries from art, entertainment, literature, and socio-political worlds shared their views on the themes found in Thomas’s art.