"I believe there is a power in acknowledging your hypervisibility and trying to subvert it by performing in ways that are not expected and, at times, not respected. It’s a way to corrupt whatever system you are being targeted by.
—Tschabalala Self
Confronting perceptions of the marginalisation and overt fetishization of the Black female body, Tschabalala Self is best known for her large-scale figurative mixed-media paintings, reaffirming what it means to be a Black woman in society. Asserting femininity in an act of defiant bodily self-expression, this striking and suggestive pose of a Black woman sat against a vibrant black and pink background in Daydream, rebels against the eroticised impositions of the female body, pertinently emphasised by the multitude of hands attempting to touch the figure. Aware that her paintings carry the weight of political and social implications on the surveillance and restrictions of black bodies, Self starts provocative conversations around the construction of Black identities in an attempt to raise dialogues over inclusivity and awareness. At its most direct, Self’s textile-based works emphasise that ‘you can’t fully acknowledge someone’s humanity unless you acknowledge every aspect of their humanity,’ a point emphatically addressed in Daydream.i
In her commitment to the intersecting questions of gender, race, and representation, Self belongs to a community of contemporary artists including Mickalene Thomas and Deborah Roberts who employ non-traditional materials as a means of emphasising the constructed nature of identity and as a challenge to conventional notions of beauty. Bringing together textiles, fabric, and alternative modes of making, Self’s practice speaks poetically to the complexity of the social issues raised by her work. Strikingly autobiographic, Self’s use of fabric also engages directly with the legacy of artists such as Faith Ringgold, her highly textured paintings recalling the powerful combination of personal narrative, history, and social politics evident in the story quilts produced by Ringgold. Presenting a radical challenge to the male gaze, Self eradicates shame and demands that her figures occupy space. Amplifying Black female voices who have fallen through the cracks throughout history and reinvigorating discussions around female sexuality, as the artist states, ‘the goal is to allow for there to be better understanding: more diversity and understanding for the Black body. New ways of understanding.’ii Significantly, Daydream was included in Self's 2017 exhibition with Parasol Unit in London, her first major exhibition in the United Kingdom, and a powerful presentation of the ideas at the centre of her practice.
