Trailblazing BIPOC Women Shaping the Arts
Mickalene Thomas, Tschabalala Self, Shaina McCoy and Somaya Critchlow
I have my eyes on these four incredible women that I REALLY adore: Mickalene Thomas, Tschabalala Self, Shaina McCoy, and Somaya Critchlow. Each of them brings something powerful and unique to contemporary art, and I’m constantly in awe of their work.
By the way, if you’ve been thinking about starting or expanding your art collection, Mickalene Thomas is collaborating with Avant Arte to release four silkscreen prints that reflect key moments in her career. Known for her bold use of color, rhinestones, and layered imagery, Thomas explores themes of identity, self-love, and evolution. She’s making high-quality art more accessible to a wider audience with these prints. For more details, visit: Avant Arte - Mickalene Thomas.
I first encountered the work of Tschabalala Self when I was in Antwerp at Masquerade, Make-up & Ensor at MoMu, and I’ve been obsessed ever since. Born in Harlem, she’s celebrated for her vibrant, layered depictions of Black figures, particularly Black women. What I love most about her work is how her portraits feature curvaceous Black bodies against flat, patterned planes and bold, solid color blocks. She builds her kaleidoscopic canvases through a mix of painting, printmaking, sewn textiles, and collaged cutouts—integrating craft elements into her paintings to explore cultural perceptions and depictions of Black femininity.
Shaina McCoy’s work holds a special place in my heart. Her thick brushstrokes and faceless portraits create this unique 3D effect that I absolutely love. While her source material is deeply personal, she renders her subjects without faces, inviting viewers to project themselves and their own families into her scenes. The facelessness makes it feel like it could be your family she’s painted, like these moments belong to all of us. Her work is rooted in nostalgia, using thick impasto paint and soft pastel hues to depict figures with expressive postures and interactions. She beautifully captures the diversity and complexity of Black family life. More info: Avant Arte - Shaina McCoy.
Somaya Critchlow is another artist whose work I deeply admire. She started by drawing herself nude, and that act of self-representation evolved into a broader celebration of Black femininity. Critchlow’s work reshapes Western portraiture by merging high art traditions with contemporary Black culture, reclaiming space for Black women within the canon. But at the same time, there’s something unsettling about her paintings. They make me think of Sarah Baartman, and I can’t help but feel conflicted. There’s an undeniable beauty in her work, but also an uneasiness that keeps me in this space between admiration and perplexity.
These four women are making waves in the art world, and I can’t wait to see what they do next!
Shaina McCoy
Mickalene Thomas
Tschabalala Self
Somaya Critchlow