Artist Statement
Thomas reflects on public and private representations of the Black family as explored through her personal photo archive. By freeing her subjects from the confines of their frames and collaging the original images with weaves made from found commercial street posters, Thomas creates a composition that calls attention to the similarities and differences in the ways Blackness is depicted in culture across three generations.
While each piece is grounded in its own socio-cultural context, Thomas employs mirrors to reach out and capture the reflected image of viewers - crossing boundaries of time and perspective to bring viewers into a closeness with her subjects. This level of intimacy can be investigated if a viewer chooses to engage with the work, however, even passersby can momentarily share the face of Thomas’ relatives as they walk by. It’s in this act of seeing oneself in an “other” that Thomas hopes to inspire connection and celebrate the memory of those in her family that came before her.