Tschabalala Self

Artistic Profile

Style

Formal Approach

Bricolage technique combining painting, printmaking, and textile construction. Despite mixed media, all works maintain a 'painting language' on canvas.

Distinctive Elements

Recycling of fabric and materials from previous works into new compositions; quilt-like surfaces; exaggerated physical features that reference and subvert stereotypes

Signature Characteristics

Exaggerated, curvaceous Black figures constructed from collaged materials — sewn fabrics, printed elements, and painted surfaces layered on canvas. Flat, patterned planes with bright, solid color blocks. Figures often fill the entire canvas.

Evolution

Mid Career

Expansion into sculpture, functional art/furniture, and performance (Performa 2021, 'Sounding Board'); bronze casting with worked patinas (2018-2023)

Trajectory

Consistent expansion from 2D canvas-based practice to multimedia, sculptural, and public art without abandoning core painting practice

Early Career

2D paintings and collages on canvas exploring Black female figuration (2012-2017)

Current Phase

Large-scale public commissions in bronze and aluminum; deepening engagement with sculpture and architectural-scale works (Fourth Plinth, New Museum facade, 2024-2026)

Influences

Personal

Mother's sewing practice and scavenging of materialsGrowing up in Harlem

Art Historical

Romare Bearden (collage, Black life, Harlem)Quilting traditions (African-American craft heritage)

Critical Comparisons

Peter Schjeldahl compared her work to Arshile Gorky and Willem de Kooning; Frieze critics have referenced Mary Shelley's Frankenstein in analyzing her figure construction

Visual Language

Color Palette

Bold, saturated colors; kaleidoscopic combinations; bright solid blocks contrasted with patterned textiles

Material Language

Textiles carry cultural significance — fabrics collected from Harlem, South/Central America, and the Caribbean reference her mother's sewing practice and diasporic material culture

Compositional Approach

Figures dominate the picture plane; flat patterned backgrounds; layered textures create visual depth despite 2D surface

Themes and Subjects

Core Themes

The Black female body — exaltation, objectification, and reclamationRace and gender as intersecting constructsDomesticity and interior lifeCultural attitudes toward the racialized and gendered bodyBlack quotidian life and public space

Subject Matter

Predominantly figurative — depictions of Black women and couples in domestic, social, and public settings. Recent public works (Art Lovers, Lady in Blue) expand into universal themes of intimacy and public presence.

Conceptual Framework

Self describes her practice as absorbing 'fantasies and attitudes surrounding the black female body' rather than merely commenting on them, creating 'alternative narratives around the Black body' that are both accepted and rejected, generating 'new possibilities' through disorientation

Movements and Periods

Primary

Contemporary Black Figuration

Related Movements

Post-identity artNeo-Expressionism (thematic links)Feminist artAfrofuturism (tangential)

Art Historical Context

Part of a generation of Black figurative artists (alongside Jordan Casteel, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Njideka Akunyili Crosby) who emerged in the mid-2010s, reclaiming representation of Black bodies in painting

Techniques and Mediums

Techniques

CollageSewing/stitchingPrintmakingMixed-media layeringFabric stretching and folding for dimensional effect

Scale Range

From intimate works on paper to monumental public sculptures (13-foot New Museum facade; Fourth Plinth scale)

Primary Mediums

Oil paintAcrylicSewn fabric collagePrinted textilesCanvas

Additional Mediums

Bronze sculpture (patinated)Aluminum relief sculptureStainless steelPerformance artAnimationFunctional art/furniture