TSCHABALALA SELF

^{(b. 1990, Harlem, NY; lives and works in Hudson, NY)}

Tschabalala Self is a visual artist whose practice combines painting, printmaking, and sculpture to expand contemporary figuration. Working with sewn, printed, and painted materials, she constructs dynamic depictions of women that draw from both fine art and craft traditions. Her work explores selfhood, embodiment, and human flourishing through layered material and conceptual approaches. Self has presented solo exhibitions at institutions including the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (2025), Longlati Foundation (2025), Espoo Museum of Modern Art (2024), ICA Boston (2020), and the Baltimore Museum of Art (2021). Her work is held in major collections including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Studio Museum in Harlem.

Children’s Art Carnival affiliation: Student, circa 2001–2003

Tschabalala Self, 12pm on 145th Street, 2022. Denim fabric, digitally printed T-shirt, velvet, lace, tulle, painted and dyed canvas with acrylic and Flashe. 96 × 228 in.

12pm on 145th Street, 2022

Denim fabric, digitally printed T-shirt, velvet, lace, tulle, painted canvas, dyed canvas, and acrylic and Flashe on canvas
96 × 228 in.
Courtesy of the artist and Petzel Gallery

During middle school, Tschabalala Self attended the Carnival’s after-school program while simultaneously taking classes at the Harlem School of the Arts. Following in the path of her older siblings, who had also attended the Carnival, Self found herself immersed in a warm, enriching, and inspiring environment that increased her confidence, ignited her imagination, and influenced her passion for creating works from a Black cultural perspective.

“It created a subconscious and core understanding that the art world was accessible to me,” she said. “Being in that kind of space was really good for my imagination and for my confidence.”

The Carnival also influenced Self’s commitment to Black figuration, as seeing reflections of herself through the teaching artists and artistic projects affirmed the value of the Black narrative. In this expansive triptych, the Harlem-born artist channels memories of growing up in Hamilton Heights, on the same block as the Carnival. Self depicts the Black residents whose vibrant presence, stride, and attitude defined the neighborhood’s energy during her youth and continues to do so today.