Cardi B’s Latest Cover Shoot Was Directed by This Artist

The New York artist Mickalene Thomas is known for her empowering paintings of black women. Now, the artist has art directed and shot the cover of W Magazine, featuring Cardi B for the art issue.
The photographer has captured Cardi in a sophisticated light for the magazine cover. The artist’s references range from 1960s retro fashion to 1980s activism, including the Black Power movement, proving that in these shots. But she captured Cardi with the female gaze.

“On many ­levels, she portrays herself through a male gaze,” Thomas told Hyperallergic.
“I wanted to see if she could transform herself and go beyond the prescribed notion that’s expected within an industry that wants to only perceive and present you as one dimensional.”