PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — BlackStar Film Projects is screening a film series reflecting the themes found throughout a Camden, New Jersey, artist’s international exhibition, now at the Barnes Foundation.
“Mickalene Thomas: All About Love,” at the Barnes through Jan. 12, is a selection of vivid paintings, collage, photography and video showcasing the artist’s distinctive style over the last decade or more. Mickalene Thomas has gained global recognition for her sequin-laden, multi-textile and emotionally provocative work depicting Black women through the lenses of community, history and advocacy.
“Certainly, when we were thinking about how to complement this exhibition, we knew we had to have BlackStar involved,” said James Claiborne, deputy director for community engagement at the Barnes. “Black Star becomes access to a world of makers, filmmakers and audiences. We become a richer environment through collaboration.”
The screening is a way to engage the community while complementing Thomas’s exhibition, Claiborne explains. Themes present in the artist's work — kinship, desire and femininity — are reflected in BlackStar’s special three-part All About Love film series.
This weekend, the Barnes will screen a film relating to the theme of femininity: Nefertite Nguvu’s debut feature “In the Morning.” The movie explores love, infidelity, trust and kinship, with a focus on the inner character of Black women. Made more than a decade ago, Claiborne says, it is a must-see.
“It’s gorgeously shot. The dialogue is poetic,” he said. “It follows the lives of nine Brooklynite friends in the span of one day.”
The screening, on Saturday, Dec. 14, at 2 p.m., will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker, moderated by BlackStar founder Maori Karmael Holmes. And the program includes access to the Mickalene Thomas exhibition as well as the Barnes’ permanent collection.