Tschabalala Self transforms slices of the everyday—lovers embracing, a woman shopping at the bodega—into lush paintings and sculptures. In recent years, the Harlem-born artist has scaled up, with projects on the facade of the expanded New Museum in New York and the Fourth Plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square.
When you were little, what were you known for?
Breaking things and eavesdropping. Because of the combination of the two, I wasn’t a very successful sleuth. I have four older siblings. I loved following them around and staying in their business. They are the reason I am fascinated with telling stories and people-watching to this day.
What are you looking forward to this year?
I am very much looking forward to the unveiling of my next public commission, Lady in Blue, for the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, London. Lady in Blue will bring to Trafalgar Square a woman that many can relate to. She is not an idol to venerate or a historic figurehead to commemorate. She is a woman striding forward into our collective future with ambition and purpose.
Where do you feel most at home?
I feel most at home as of late in upstate New York. I’m from the city, which I love, but being close to nature is important to me. My family originates from the rural South, specifically the bayous of Louisiana and Mississippi—living by the rivers and streams of the valley feels very natural to me.
Name an influence of yours that might surprise people.
Oliver Stone, or maybe I should say Quentin Tarantino. One of my favorite all-time movies is Natural Born Killers. Tarantino wrote the original screenplay but Stone reworked it. I loved the final product. I appreciate an antihero—a transgressive savior.
When’s the last time you laughed hysterically?
Driving up 87 from the city with my husband and my friend, artist, Autumn Ahn, listening to Afroman’s 2022 album Lemon Pound Cake after his lawsuit victory.
What’s something people get wrong about you?
People think I am very extroverted, but in reality I am a bit shy.
What grounds you, and what invigorates you?
What grounds me is what invigorates me—and that is my community.
What keeps you up at night?
It depends—sometimes a painting problem, sometimes a life problem, general existential dread, too much matcha or Netflix.
in your life?
