Shifting Substrates: In Conversation with Tschabalala Self

The vibrant portraits of Tschabalala Self speak for themselves. Her textile collage compositions close the gap between painting and the body, their creation seemingly more akin to mending a well-worn sweater or fastening the buttons of a lover’s dress than constructing an image. She doesn’t write herself into art history, but rather, cuts it open, refashioning a world brimming with a vivacity that exceeds its substrate.
Self grew up in Harlem and remained in the city until this past fall, when she moved upstate; she now maintains a studio in the Catskills. On a crisp February day, we both found ourselves in Provincetown, Massachusetts, an alluring, remote locale of a different ilk. I had the chance to sit down with her at the Fine Arts Work Center, where we discussed scarcity and abundance, the energetic charge of materials, and the sophisticated beauty of the natural world.