LONDON.- Avant Arte, the creative marketplace that makes discovering and owning art radically more accessible, has partnered with King’s Cross to deliver its first public art programme.
Launching with the artist Tschabalala Self on 5 October 2022, the public art programme continues Avant Arte’s 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 will be Tschabalala Self’s first public art commission, inspired by her current body of work which focuses on domestic space and trappings. The artist will create 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.
The installation will be located on the northern gateway to Coal Drops Yard on Lewis Cubitt Square, in the heart of the King’s Cross estate. It will be accompanied by online and offline programming that will delve into Self’s practice, opening it up to new audiences. Two editions encompassing 25 bronze sculptures and 12 silk screen prints will also be released by Avant Arte. Pilar Corrias will present a solo exhibition by Tschabalala Self, entitled Home Body across its Savile Row and Eastcastle Street galleries from 6 October to 12 November 2022. Showcasing both large-scale paintings, works on paper, furniture and sculpture the exhibition will investigate domestic space.
Tschabalala Self said: “I’m really looking forward to seeing how audiences will 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.”
Gemma Rolls-Bentley, Chief Curator, Avant Arte said: “We’re thrilled to be bringing this incredible installation by one of the world’s most exciting artists to Coal Drops Yard this Autumn. 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 from October and discover what is only the beginning of a dynamic, diverse arts programme.”
Anthea Harries, Asset Management Director at King’s Cross, said: “We are delighted to have partnered with Avant Arte for their first ever public art programme. This partnership supports our continued commitment to deliver outstanding art and culture for everyone who lives, works and visits King’s Cross. We are proud to be launching this programme with artist Tschabalala Self and bringing her work to the audiences of King’s Cross.”
Self’s work explores the emotional, physical and psychological impact of the Black female body as icon, and is primarily devoted to examining the intersectionality of race, gender and sexuality. Aspiring to hold space and create a cultural vacuum in which bodies can exist for their own pleasure and self-realisation, she seeks to correct misconceptions propagated within and projected upon the Black body.
Avant Arte works to bring art to the new global generation by enabling artists to break new ground in edition-making and by creating memorable public interventions. This project with King’s Cross marks Avant Arte’s first-ever commission of public art and will be viewed by tens of thousands of visitors, amplifying King’s Cross as an artistic and cultural destination which creates unique moments for the local community.
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. Forthcoming and recent and 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 Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf (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 Mu- seum, 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).
