Tschabalala Self

Kunstmuseum St. Gallen presents the first institutional solo exhibition of Tschabalala Self in Europe in collaboration with Le Consortium in Dijon. 

On display are nineteen canvases that exemplify Tschabalala Self's artistic development, alongside several new sculptures that take her painting into the third dimension, further intensifying the play of fiction and reality; in addition, the video of a performance Self staged for the renowned New York festival Performa in 2021 will be projected in the museum's foyer.

Self's works question the historically, culturally, and socially shaped ideas toward Black bodies; in the artist's words: "Collective fantasies surround the Black body and have created a cultural niche in which exists our contemporary understanding of Black femininity. My practice is dedicated to naming this phenomenon."

Tschabalala Self's figures are not to be understood as portraits; rather, they are composites of what she calls a "pantheon of invented characters." They thus embody an existential condition and are emblematic of interpersonal dynamics. In addition to paintings, the exhibition will also feature larger-than-life figures: Seated Woman 1 and Seated Man 2, for example, explore the thematic complex of the seated or even enthroned figure, with which Self has recently been preoccupied. The chair thus becomes, as she says, "the stage." The seated figure has much to do with ideas of private and public space, the personal and the political, as experienced in sit-ins as a form of public protest.

In tandem with Inside Out, . (This link opens in a new tab).   , Pilar Corrias will present a virtual exhibition of sculpture and works on paper that explores themes of domesticity, the home and performance.  Explore the presentation here.