BENEATH THE MOONLIGHT: MICKALENE THOMAS BREAKS NEW GROUND AT DETROIT'S THE SHEPHERD | Library Street Collective's bold new exhibition marks Thomas's first exploration of Black masculinity

The opening of Mickalene Thomas' Beneath the Moonlight at the Shepherd in Detroit.

Pigment International recently went to Detroit for the opening of Beneath the Moonlight, a solo exhibition of new work by Mickalene Thomas, presented by Library Street Collective at the Shepherd — a breathtaking arts center carved from a 1912 Romanesque Revival church in Detroit's East Village neighborhood.

For more than two decades, Thomas has cultivated a signature visual language rooted in photography and brought to life through paintings embellished with rhinestones, collage, acrylic, and enamel. Her celebrated body of work centers Black women posed within richly patterned interiors that draw from art history, fashion, and the domestic sphere, reclaiming aesthetic traditions that have historically excluded them. Beneath the Moonlight marks a pivotal departure: for the first time, Thomas turns her lens and brush toward masculinity — exploring the Black male body with the same rigorous attention to beauty, agency, and representation that defines her practice. 

"Thomas creates images that challenge dominant representations and make space for vulnerability, sensuality and strength within portrayals of Black masculinity."

Featuring large-scale paintings, collage, and photography, the exhibition approaches masculinity not as a fixed identity but as a spectrum. Working with a range of models — including non-binary and trans men — Thomas creates imagery that challenges dominant representations, carving space for vulnerability, sensuality, and strength. Notably, several of Thomas's characteristically bold abstract pieces seem to echo and pay homage to the luminous stained glass of the church that now houses them, bridging the sacred history of the space with her visionary aesthetic.

Guests also had the opportunity to step inside vignettes staged in Thomas's distinctive style, placing themselves within the world of the exhibition for photographs — an immersive touch wholly in keeping with her participatory artistic vision. The exhibition's opening weekend featured a compelling conversation between Thomas and Japan-based curator Dexter Wimberly, exploring Thomas's decision to pivot toward the male figure.

The Shepherd itself is a destination. The three-and-a-half-acre Little Village cultural district site — brought to life when Anthony Curtis and his wife, JJ in 2012 decided to transform the family's real estate legacy into a cultural vision — now encompasses a skate park, a sculpture garden honoring the late artist Charles McGee, a boutique bed-and-breakfast, a bar, two restaurants, and nonprofit office space. Among the notables in attendance at the opening was April McGee, daughter of the celebrated sculptor, and artist Mario Moore, recently returned from the Venice Biennale. 

Beneath the Moonlight is on view through August 23 at The Shepherd, 1265 Parkview Street, Detroit, MI 48214. Hours: Wednesday–Saturday, 11 AM–5 PM; Sunday, 12 PM–4 PM.