Tschabalala Self ’12 Explores Black American Identity in First Major Gallery Exhibition in New York City

New York Times critic Robin Pogrebin interviews Self ahead of her solo exhibition at Galerie Eva Presenhuber in Lower Manhattan, opening November 6. “The colorful works display Ms. Self’s signature combination of painting and collage,” writes Pogrebin. “She does not use glue or adhesive; in homage to her mother’s facility as a seamstress as well as the quilting tradition, Ms. Self integrates swatches of fabric into her paintings by deploying the sewing machine as well as the paintbrush: She draws with stitches. … These paintings speak to what Ms. Self said is the show’s main theme: ‘understanding and naming the institution of American slavery as the origin of Black American identity.’ ‘For me, it’s clarifying what I mean when I refer to Blackness,’ she added. ‘Without the institution of slavery, this country could never have been built to be what it is today. The Black American is almost a mascot for modernism. The Black American represents the modern world, the new world.’” Cotton Mouth is on view through December 19.

Post Date: 11-03-2020