Hayward Gallery Reopens with Mickalene Thomas: All About Love

Mark your calendars, The Hayward Gallery is reopening its doors on the 11th of February. And what better way to kick things off right before Valentine’s Day than with an exhibition All About Love. This vibrant display from Mickalene Thomas sits as the first solo UK exhibition for the trailblazing artist. Running until the 5th of May 2025, the Hayward will be home to an explosion of colour, identity, and unapologetic love, all through the lens of Thomas’s ground-breaking work.

Known for her larger-than-life portraits of Black women set against electrifying, patterned backgrounds, Thomas is an artist who doesn’t just break boundaries—she shatters them. With her rhinestone-encrusted paintings, mixed-media collages, and multi-dimensional installations, she’s redefined what portraiture can be. Her art is a celebration of Black beauty, identity, and strength, flipping the script on mainstream beauty standards with works that are as thought-provoking as they are visually striking.

Thomas’s All About Love exhibition is a multifaceted journey into the artist’s mind, exploring themes of family love, self-love, and romantic love. But make no mistake—this is no typical love story. As Thomas puts it, "My gaze is the gaze of a Black woman unapologetically loving other Black women." Her art serves as a fierce counter-narrative to the traditional depictions of beauty, with an emphasis on the empowerment and joy that Black women experience in their everyday lives. Think lounging in a sunlit room, adorned in rhinestones, a radical act of rest and self-care that becomes a statement of defiance in a world that often refuses to give Black women the space to breathe.

But the exhibition doesn’t stop there—All About Love also dives deep into Thomas’s inspirations. Her bold compositions draw on everything from 19th-century European painters like Courbet and Monet, to the 1970s interior design aesthetic, to current political events, with a nod to the writing of Black feminist icons like bell hooks and Kimberlé Crenshaw. The exhibition even transports visitors back to the artist’s childhood home in the 1970s and 80s, creating an immersive environment that’s both a love letter to her mother—her first muse—and a powerful critique of the lack of representation for Black women in Western art.

It’s a show that invites you to rethink what portraiture means in today’s world and challenges you to see beauty, glamour, and identity in new ways. As Thomas herself says, "This presentation uniquely navigates the nuances of my work while cohesively investigating notions and topics at the core of my artistic practice." All About Love isn’t just an exhibition, it strives to be a profound celebration of Black womanhood, resilience, and the transformative power of love.

So whether you're an art lover or just in need of some inspiration, make sure you don’t miss this moment in the UK art world. The Hayward Gallery has opened its doors wide, and Mickalene Thomas: All About Love is here to fill the walls with bedazzled canvases.

Find out more about Mickalene Thomas: All About Love and book tickets via southbankcentre.co.uk