Suzanne and other collection works depict Black women in domestic spaces

The recent acquisition of Khalif Tahir Thompson’s Suzanne contributes to a harmonious through line of Black women at rest across SLAM’s collection. Composed of multilayered figural representations of oil, pastel, papyrus, fabric, and handmade paper, Thompson’s work joined SLAM’s collection of modern and contemporary art in 2024.

Currently on view in Gary C. Werths and Richard Frimel Gallery 248, this expansive scene portrays a familiar woman, evoking comfort among hues of orange in a soundscape of letters and numbers. Thompson utilizes a range of materials including handmade paper and pleather; all contributing to the intricate, detailed, and intimate nature of Thompson’s practice.  

The work offers a glimpse into Thompson’s artistic expression, painting imagined and lived experiences of individuals. Thompson, who was born in 1995, references his family’s archival photographs as sources of inspiration for his paintings. A family archive often illuminates scenes of gathering, joy, and celebration and also records time and space. Thompson pulls on this connection by animating interiors and homages to his family, translating images into colorful visual legacies. He beautifully replicates historical imagery of his family archive by giving these subjects names and creating empathy toward them. Thompson creates paintings that are records of visual memory.  

Thompson’s sentimental yet insightful paintings offer a multisensory perception of his work, imagining the sounds and sights of the subjects in his portraiture paintings. The artist cites Kerry James Marshall as an inspiration in his work. This influence is shown through Thompson’s blending of African American subjects with backdrops of scenes imbued with letters and numbers, contributing to individuals’ stories and identities. History, perception, figuration, and sentimentality meet to render familiarity. The natural rhythm of Suzanne extends even into its title, which shares the name of a song sung by Nina Simone. Black women inspire the artwork, and Suzanne further connects the artworks in SLAM’s collection depicting the same scene.

The restful yet poignant seated position of the figure connects to imagery within SLAM’s collection of Black women in repose, comfort, and leisure. Three artworks in SLAM’s collection—Untitled (Kitchen Table Series) (1990) by Carrie Mae Weems and Seated Woman (1962) by Elizabeth Catlett, both shown above, and Untitled (Seated Woman With Hand in Front of Face) (1954) by an unrecorded photographer, spotlight this rare scene: Black women at rest in imagined domestic spaces.  

Thompson’s art form aligns with imagery in Untitled (Seated Woman With Hand in Front of Face) and Untitled (Kitchen Table Series). These works can be viewed upon request in the Museum’s Print Study Room. In connection to Suzanne, these two photographs, one a candid depiction and one a staged scene of Black women in domestic spaces, emulate the photographs Thompson more-than-likely encountered in his family photo album. The untitled picture of a woman covering her face by a once-known photographer highlights an example of a photograph that makes up a family archive. In a similar nature, Carrie Mae Weems, as a Black woman photographer, notably constructs photographic scenes to give voice to people whose stories have been silenced or ignored. In SLAM’s collection, Untitled (Kitchen Table Series) is one of her works giving form to history and memory. Thompson and Weems, as artists across generations, seek their artistic expression to depict reality through their perspective.