Tschabalala Self
3 collaborations
Tschabalala Self makes portraits with impact – bold, bright and tactile. The works cherish Black social life. Women sit, chill and chat. Sometimes they hang out in groups, and sometimes they enjoy a moment of solitude. While she calls herself a painter, Self mainly works with fabric. Her process is intuitive and hands-on. First, she draws on her studio floor. Then she cuts up patterned fabric and old, unfinished works. Scraps of silk, fur and hand-painted textiles are also added into the mix. Next, these shapes are arranged into curvaceous human forms and sewn onto canvas. Self uses her sewing machine like a paint brush, drawing lines and shapes with the stitches. All these material processes are acts of resistance. "I use materials in an unconventional way to subvert the status quo," she explains.
