That most of us are still a bit stuck in our homes at the moment, locked onto our phones and scrolling endlessly, you know when you get stopped in your tracks it must be something special. This was the feeling I had when I came across the works of South African artist Zandile Tshabalala. It was immediate. There was something so stunning about the (often) solitary self-portraits, with a bold expression of confidence and almost pleasure, posed but comfortable, staring right back at you. Much of the works we had seen last year will culminate in Enter Paradise, Tshabalala's solo show at ADA in Accra, Ghana that opens on February 25th. 

As the gallery notes, "Entirely composed of self-portraits, the painting series moves away from accurate depiction, calling instead to the symbolism behind the artist’s repeated presence in her works. A bald, Black woman herself, Tshabalala mirrors her personal engagement and confident affirmation of her body in her art. Beyond, or in addition to, their status as universal Black female figures, her characters come to embody the artist herself, her rejection of set standards and notions of beauty and advocacy for individual empowerment."