Tschabalala Self

Bio

Tschabalala Self is a Harlem-born painter based in New Haven. She received her BA from Bard in 2012 and her MFA from Yale in 2015. Her work combines painting, textiles, printmaking, video, sculpture, and other media. She writes, “My current body of work is concerned with the iconographic significance of the Black female body in contemporary culture. My work explores the emotional, physical and psychological impact of the Black female body as icon, and is primarily devoted to examining the intersectionality of race, gender and sexuality.” Here she discusses why putting in the work is never a waste of time, using your memories as inspiration, transcending politics, and why a studio space should be like a fresh canvas.