Tschabalala Self brings colour, texture and soul to ACCA

The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) has unveiled Tschabalala Self: Skin Tight, a dazzling and deeply introspective exhibition that marks the celebrated Harlem-born artist’s first solo show in Australia.

Running until November 23, the exhibition invites audiences into a kaleidoscopic world of painting, collage, sculpture and film – one that is as much about beauty and form as it is about identity and perception.

Tschabalala Self, born in 1990 and based in New York’s Hudson Valley, has become one of the most in-demand figurative painters of her generation. Her work, known for its vibrant use of fabric, stitched collage and paint, explores the complexities of the Black body, particularly how it is shaped, viewed and mythologised by society.

In Skin Tight, Self pushes these themes further, creating what she describes as “psychologically charged immersive spaces”. The exhibition features new and recent large-scale paintings, works on paper and a striking three-channel video installation that surrounds visitors with her exuberant, larger-than-life characters.

Each of Self’s figures is a composite – not a portrait – of one person, but a patchwork of experiences, memories, and cultural references drawn from her life. With their stitched fabrics, layered surfaces and bold colours, the pieces speak to multiplicity and contradiction, confronting viewers with questions about how we construct our identities and how others perceive us.

“Through Skin Tight, audiences are encouraged to move through the work – not just to observe it, but to become part of it,” Self said. “The spaces are contemplative, sensual and playful, reflecting the tensions between visibility and vulnerability.”

Her latest exhibition also brings together elements of performance and architecture. Through cut-outs, sightlines, and wall drawings, Self transforms ACCA’s vast galleries into a stage for intimacy and reflection, where exhibitionism and voyeurism meet.

ACCA artistic director and CEO Myles Russell-Cook, who co-curated the exhibition with Dr Shelley McSpedden, said Skin Tight captured the vitality and emotional intelligence that had made Self’s work internationally revered.

“Tschabalala’s work is an act of self-revelation – one that challenges narrow definitions imposed on bodies, expanding them to encompass the fullness of the human spirit,” Russell-Cook said. “Her figures occupy a space between representation and transcendence, constantly evolving and never static. Through this, her work offers a transformative vision of our shared humanity.”

Drawing inspiration from the Harlem Renaissance, jazz, and her ancestral ties to New Orleans, Self’s practice is steeped in rhythm, movement and cultural memory. Her work channels the exuberance of Black performance and dance, while also confronting the social and psychological weight of being seen.

Skin Tight continues ACCA’s strong tradition of showcasing bold, boundary-pushing contemporary art that sparks conversation. The exhibition also reinforces the gallery’s connection to Southbank’s cultural heart, offering free entry for all visitors.

Self’s work has been exhibited at leading institutions worldwide, including London’s Barbican, Munich’s Haus der Kunst, the Brooklyn Museum, MoMA PS1, and the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. Her Melbourne debut follows a string of major international exhibitions that have established her as a defining voice in contemporary figurative art.

Tschabalala Self: Skin Tight is supported by visionary supporters Drs Theresia and Kevin Spencer and principal partner Pilar Corrias.

The exhibition runs at ACCA, 111 Sturt St, Southbank, until Sunday, November 23.

Free entry. acca.melbourne •