Tschabalala Self in The Guardian

Tschabalala Self in her studio. Photograph: Courtesy of Avant Arte (c) Christian DeFonte

From The Guardian:

”Imagine you’re on a bike, as opposed to a car, a train, or a plane,” says Tschabalala Self. “Imagine how the world appears, how quickly and easily you’re able to move through it. How clearly you can see people and they can see you.” She pauses. “Your worldview shifts depending on the vehicle you’re in. For me, it’s the same with bodies. Inside, we’re all essentially the same – but we’re moving around in different bodies that dictate our experience.” …Self continues her exploration of the Black female body: “It’s the body I feel I can have the most honest conversation about because it’s my own.”

…Self was in her early teens when she started to notice how Black women’s bodies were treated in popular culture. “This was the early 2000s, the era of music videos and video vixens,” she says, referring to women of colour who performed as backing dancers for male artists. Self took inspiration from the racialised, objectified and hyperbolic representation of these so-called hip-hop honeys.

“In the beginning it was a lot of mirroring,” she says. “Then I started to interject more of my own intentions and aspirations onto the subject.” She started out printmaking, before developing the instantly recognisable art she is now known for: radiant assemblages of mostly female bodies that comprise printed, painted and sewn materials.

…Self does want her art to reach as many people as possible, and for viewers to stand in front of her work and experience “a transcendent moment”. “It doesn’t have to be a realisation about the work,” she says. “It could be a personal realisation. I want to make people feel like they have more perspective, and the tools to navigate the world a little more easily.” No matter what body – or vehicle – they’re moving around in.