Based in New York, Mickalene Thomas is known for mixed-media paintings, photographic collages and videos that explore representations of beauty in art history and pop culture through images of African-American women.

Studded with glittering rhinestones, Thomas' paintings often depict models in elaborately detailed settings that recall American 1970s suburban bohemia and the aesthetic of "blaxploitation" cinema. Her work is now on view in a special presentation at Tokyo's Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, where it takes on new significance in the museum's 1930s-era Bauhaus-style interior. In a recent interview, Thomas discussed in greater detail the ideas behind her work.

One thing that is interesting about your work is the ironic mechanism whereby, regardless of intent, the very making of these images already comments on the lack of representations of black women in Western art history. Is this something that you consciously engage in?