Launching today with artist Tschabalala Self Avant Arte’s public art programme continues their
mission of making art radically more accessible and its work in supporting artists to push the
boundaries of their practice towards a transformative scale.
This is Tschabalala Self’s first public art commission, inspired by her current body of work which focuses on domestic space and trappings. The artist has created a large bronze sculpture of a seated figure, bringing her exploration of the domestic into the public realm and exploring the significance of taking up space and taking a seat.
I’m really looking forward to seeing how audiences respond and engage with this work – my first static public artwork and first time working at this scale. I wanted to reference the quotidienne with this sculpture: choosing the act of taking a seat as a daily, universal gesture of leisure and calm. I wanted to create a monumental sculpture for the public, in a public space, that spoke to this simple joy whilst acknowledging the power such a simple gesture can have in asserting one!s right to take up space in this realm.
Tschabalala Self
The sculpture, Seated, is located on the northern entrance to Coal Drops Yard on Lewis Cubitt Square, in the heart of the King’s Cross neighbourhood. It is accompanied by online programming and a pop-up in Coal Drops Yard that delves into Self!s practice, opening it up to new audiences. The pop-up, is open until Sunday 16th October and offers collectors and members of the public an opportunity to dive into Self’s practice with two short films being screened — one bringing to life the making of Seated, and another featuring individual responses to the idea of sitting and what it means to take a seat.
We’re thrilled to bring this incredible installation by one of the world!s most exciting artists to Coal Drops Yard. Our mission is to make art radically more accessible, so to be able to bring art into the very pathways people use every day is a natural progression for us – we invite everyone to join us in King’s Cross and discover what is only the beginning of a dynamic, diverse arts programme.
Gemma Rolls-Bentley, Chief Curator, Avant Arte
Two editions encompassing 25 bronze sculptures and 12 silkscreen prints have been released by Avant Arte and are also on display in the pop-up. In addition, Pilar Corrias will present a solo exhibition by Tschabalala Self, entitled Home Body across its Savile Row and Eastcastle Street galleries from 6th October to 17th December 2022. Showcasing large-scale paintings, works on paper, furniture and sculpture, the exhibition will investigate domestic space.
Seated by Tschabalala Self is commissioned by Avant Arte and is on show at Lewis Cubitt
Square, Coal Drops Yard, Stable Street, London, N1C 4DQ from 5th October 2022 – early 2023.
The pop-up space is at Unit 76, Viaduct Level, Coal Drops Yard, Stable Street, N1C 4DQ from
5th October – 16th October 2022.
About the artist
Tschabalala is an artist who builds a singular style from the syncretic use of both painting and printmaking to explore ideas about the Black body. She constructs depictions of predominantly female bodies using a combination of sewn, printed, and painted materials, traversing different artistic and craft traditions. The formal and conceptual aspects of Self’s work seek to expand her critical inquiry into selfhood and human flourishing. Tschabalala Self (b.1990 Harlem, USA) lives and works in the New York Tri-State area. Forthcoming and recent solo and group exhibitions including her works: Le Consortium, Dijon (2022); Performa 2021 Biennial New
York City, New York (2021); Haus der Kunst, Munich (2021); Kunsthalle Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf (2021); Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore (2021); Centro Pecci Prato, Prato (2020/21); Eva Presenhuber, New York (2020/21); ICA, Boston (2020); Pilar Corrias, London (2019); Art Omi, Ghent New York (2019); Studio Museum Artists in Residence, MoMA PS1,New York (2019); Hammer Museum, Los Angeles (2019); Frye Art Museum, Seattle (2019); Yuz Museum, Shanghai (2018); The Beyond: Georgia O!Keeffe and Contemporary Art, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville (2018); Pilar Corrias, London
(2017); Trigger: Gender as a Tool and a Weapon, New Museum, New York (2017); Tramway, Glasgow (2017); Parasol Unit Foundation for Contemporary Art, London (2017); Desire, Moore Building, Miami (2016); A Constellation, Studio Museum Harlem, Harlem (2015).
