Mickalene Thomas - A-E-I-O-U and Sometimes Y, 2009

A powerful celebration of femininity, Mickalene Thomas’ “A-E-I-O-U and Sometimes Y” reproduces on panel the digital projection of a Warlohesque photobooth snapshot of her model. The artist’s love-affair with rhinestones is continued here as Thomas glorifies the various esthetique rituals of women as a means of empowerment. The title firmly places the work in contemporary culture as it borrows the title of the MTV 90s dance hit by Eby-Ozn, a common practice by Thomas.