Many alumni speak to the support and motivation that the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards gave them to not only pursue their creative endeavors but also thrive in their disciplines. The 2021 Alumni Achievement Award Recipient, Tschabalala Self, is no exception.
“When I reflect on my own win of the Award, I have to say that it gave me the confidence to continue to pursue my art career and move forward without fear,” said Self during the 2021 National Ceremony on June 9, as part of her words of encouragement to this year’s national winners.
The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, presenter of the Awards, also celebrated Self on September 29 with a reception hosted at Galerie Eva Presenhuber. Welcome remarks were made by Executive Director Christopher Wisniewski, followed by an intimate conversation between Self and Kiara Christina Ventura, a curator, writer, and owner of ARTSYWINDOW.
A graduate of Bard College and the Yale School of Art, Self received a Scholastic Award in 2008 for her art. She now lives and works as a painter in New York and New Haven, CT. Through her painting, she explores the emotional, physical, and psychological impact of the Black female body as an icon and is primarily devoted to examining the intersectionality of race, gender, and sexuality.
Her works have been shown internationally in solo and group exhibitions, including By My Self, Baltimore Museum of Art; Cotton Mouth, Galerie Eva Presenhuber; Tschabalala Self: Out of Body, ICA Boston; Thigh High, Pilar Corrias; Tschabalala Self, Hammer Museum; Beyond the Black Atlantic, Kunstverein Hannover; Present Tense: Recent Gifts of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia Art Museum; Mood: Studio Museum Artists in Residence, MoMa PS1; and Trigger: Gender as a Tool and a Weapon, New Museum. Most recently, she debuted her first live performance at the 2021 Performa Biennial.
Self’s work belongs to prominent collections including The Art Institute of Chicago; Birmingham Museum of Art; Brooklyn Museum of Art; The Bunker Artspace; California African American Museum; Emdash Foundation; Hammer Museum; ICA Boston; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Perez Art Museum Miami; Pinakothek der Moderne; Rubell Family Collection; Studio Museum in Harlem; and Yuz Museum. Her work has been exhibited internationally. Since their founding in 1923, the Awards have inspired bold ideas in creative teens throughout the country, and we are so proud of our alumna Tschabalala Self for transforming the global visual arts landscape. Congratulations, Tschabalala!
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Tschabalala Self participates in a conversation moderated by Kiara Christina Ventura during a cocktail reception held in Self’s honor by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers at Galerie Eva Presenhuber.