Tschabalala Self
(b. 1990)2018–19 Artist in ResidenceVisual artist Tschabalala Self’s paintings, prints, sculptures, and installations interrogate the depictions of Black women and navigate abstract modes of figuration. Synthesizing paint, recycled materials, collage, and textiles in her depictions of Black people and public space, Self’s texturally complex works present forms of embodiment and depiction.
Biography
Self grew up as the youngest of five in Harlem, where she was surrounded by the saturated textures, smells, and visuals of urban life.
She grew up around collections of objects that her mother scavenged in Harlem, South or Central America, and the Caribbean. Her mother often sewed at home, making curtains and clothes out of found materials. This practice influenced Self to combine the fabrics her mother collected into her artwork. The artist has also cited Romare Bearden as a key influence in her work, especially regarding Bearden’s interests in Black quotidian life, collage work, Harlem, and cityscapes.
Self received a BA in studio art from Bard College and an MFA in painting and printmaking from Yale University. She has also held residencies in the American Academy in Rome; the La Brea Studio, T293 in Naples; and Red Bull House of Art in Detroit; and was recognized as a Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters and Sculptors Grant recipient in 2016. Self’s work belongs in the collections of the Atrup Fearnley Museet, Oslo; the HOW Art Museum, Shanghai; the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; the LUMA Foundation, Zurich; and the Pérez Art Museum, Miami. Solo exhibitions include Art Omi, Ghent, New York; Baltimore Museum of Art; Brooklyn Museum; Frye Art Museum, Seattle; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; MoMA PS1, New York; Performa 2021 Biennial, New York; the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York; and Yuz Museum, Shanghai. The Studio Museum first acquired Self’s work in 2018.
Exhibitions and Events
Tschabalala Self
(b. 1990)2018–19 Artist in ResidenceVisual artist Tschabalala Self’s paintings, prints, sculptures, and installations interrogate the depictions of Black women and navigate abstract modes of figuration. Synthesizing paint, recycled materials, collage, and textiles in her depictions of Black people and public space, Self’s texturally complex works present forms of embodiment and depiction.
Entwined, 2014
Biography
Self grew up as the youngest of five in Harlem, where she was surrounded by the saturated textures, smells, and visuals of urban life.
She grew up around collections of objects that her mother scavenged in Harlem, South or Central America, and the Caribbean. Her mother often sewed at home, making curtains and clothes out of found materials. This practice influenced Self to combine the fabrics her mother collected into her artwork. The artist has also cited Romare Bearden as a key influence in her work, especially regarding Bearden’s interests in Black quotidian life, collage work, Harlem, and cityscapes.
Self received a BA in studio art from Bard College and an MFA in painting and printmaking from Yale University. She has also held residencies in the American Academy in Rome; the La Brea Studio, T293 in Naples; and Red Bull House of Art in Detroit; and was recognized as a Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters and Sculptors Grant recipient in 2016. Self’s work belongs in the collections of the Atrup Fearnley Museet, Oslo; the HOW Art Museum, Shanghai; the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; the LUMA Foundation, Zurich; and the Pérez Art Museum, Miami. Solo exhibitions include Art Omi, Ghent, New York; Baltimore Museum of Art; Brooklyn Museum; Frye Art Museum, Seattle; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; MoMA PS1, New York; Performa 2021 Biennial, New York; the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York; and Yuz Museum, Shanghai. The Studio Museum first acquired Self’s work in 2018.
Exhibitions and Events