ancient futures

MICKALENE THOMAS “Angelitos Negros”, 2016 eight (8) two-channel HD video duration: 23 minutes, New York. 

“Hunched over a computer in her studio, Thomas shows me one of the works that’s in the show. It’s a four-channel video piece based on Eartha Kitt’s performance of “Angelitos Negros,” or, “Little Black Angels,” a song that finds the singer wondering why, when she enters a church, she only sees images of white angels. She implores painters to paint black angels for “all good blacks in heaven.” Thomas’ take on the video features herself, Racquel, and an actress, all reenacting Eartha Kitt’s performance alongside Kitt’s original, their four voices intertwining for the audio.