Mickalene Thomas and Racquel Chevremont Curate Volta Section, Discuss Art and Activism
Mickalene Thomas, an artist, teamed up with collector and advisor Racquel Chevremont to co-curate The Aesthetics of Matter at the Volta art fair, which ran from March 7 to 11, 2018. They emphasized collage as a form of political commentary, drawing inspiration from Dadaist figures like Hannah Höch and modern movements such as #Metoo and Black Lives Matter. Instead of focusing on demographic diversity, they aimed for a cohesive concept, featuring artists who include Yale MFA graduates and those without gallery representation. They also launched Deux Femmes Noires to support artists of color, particularly women, in light of funding gaps in museums. Thomas’s works, showcasing Chevremont as a whimsical collaborator, are part of the Seattle Art Museum's Figuring History exhibition.
Key facts
- The Aesthetics of Matter is a curated section at the Volta art fair.
- Volta runs from March 7 to 11, 2018.
- Mickalene Thomas and Racquel Chevremont co-curated the section.
- Collage is highlighted as a political tool inspired by Dadaists.
- Deux Femmes Noires is a new initiative to support artists of color.
- Thomas's paintings of Chevremont are in the Figuring History exhibition at the Seattle Art Museum.
- Thomas transitioned to figurative work after taking a photography class at Yale.
- Chevremont collects African American, diaspora, and Latino art.
Entities
Artists
- Mickalene Thomas
- Racquel Chevremont
- William Corwin
- Hannah Höch
- Devin Morris
- Christie Neptune
- David Shrobe
- Didier Williams
- Kameelah Janan Rasheed
- Tomashi Jackson
- Kennedy Yanko
- Troy Michie
- Kerry James Marshall
- Robert Colescott
- Eric Fischl
- Laila Ali
- Kehinde Wiley
Institutions
- Volta art fair
- Seattle Art Museum
- Yale
- artcritical.com
- Deux Femmes Noires
Locations
- Seattle
- United States
- New York
- Brooklyn
- Europe