Mickalene Thomas
“Racquel Reclining Wearing Purple Jumpsuit”
2016
Rhinestones, glitter, flock, acrylic and oil on wood panel
96 x 144 inches 243.8 x 365.8 cm
(Inv# MTPT16-008)
Tickets
About this National Sawdust+ Concert/Talk
Acclaimed Brooklyn-based distinguished international artist and filmmaker Mickalene Thomas, a 2015 United States Artists Francie Bishop Good & David Horvitz fellow, turns her gaze from her arresting, often glittering and provocative mixed-media work to present /ˈentrəpē/ , a collaboration of music and art with three-time Grammy Award-winning jazz musician, Terri Lyne Carrington. The collaborative tête-à-tête will consist of a video by Thomas accompanied by Carrington’s live performance of new and adapted original works. Thomas’s artistry is the inspiration for Carrington’s live performance. Following the debut of the piece, there will be a conversation about their collaboration and individual processes. The evening will end with a Q&A.
Terri Lyne Carrington is a powerhouse drummer, composer, and educator, currently serving as Zildjian Chair in Performance at Berklee College of Music. Her career includes performing with luminaries such as Stan Getz and Herbie Hancock as well as collaborating with Natalie Cole, Cassandra Wilson, Esperanza Spalding, and others on her female-driven Mosaic Project recordings.
This collaboration between Thomas and Carrington will bring forth elements of their creative selves, thus forcing their viewers to express and ignite emotion. It will be palpable, queer, futuristic, dynamic, moving, indescribable and unpredictable. Their individual art forms will at times interact on a symbiotic yet syncopated level.
Mickalene Thomas
“Untitled #18”
2016
Rhinestones, glitter, acrylic and oil paint on wood panel
96 x 72 inches 243.8 x 182.9 cm
(Inv# MTPT16-024)
Mickalene Thomas
“Shinique: Now I Know”
2015
Rhinestones, acrylic and oil on wood panel 96 x 120 inches
243.8 x 304.8 cm
(Inv# MTPT15-016)
Overview
Both of these women live by the mantra that the act of making art is revolutionary. Creativity at times may be considered a disruptive practice as it goes against the status quo or norm, working in and out of systems. Entropy speaks to this idea. With its Greek prefix en-, meaning “within,” and the trop- root meaning “change,” entropy means “change within (a closed system).”
The closed system we usually think of when speaking of entropy (especially if we’re not physicists) is the entire universe. But entropy applies to closed systems of any size and kind. These systems include spaces of marginalization, racism, and politics. As we think of today’s socio-political climate, this collaboration is particularly poignant.
Most of us feel that artists, through their work, can make sense of uncertainty and chaos. These two artists are no different. Their coming together forms a paradigm, deconstructing the universal notions of music, visual art, spoken word and performance within the traditional structure of these creative practices. The re-contextualizing of these creative practices will transfix the viewer by transporting them in and out of entropy.
Entropy /ˈentrəpē/
1. lack of order or predictability; gradual decline into disorder. a marketplace where entropy reigns supreme.
2. synonyms: deterioration, degeneration, crumbling, decline, degradation, decomposition, breaking down, collapse
NS+ Series Curated by:
Photo by Brigitte Lacombe
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