Tadáskía, a Brazilian Black trans artist, is making her U.S. debut with a groundbreaking installation at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. The exhibition, titled "Projects: Tadáskía," is on view through October 14, 2024. This installation marks the first time an artist has drawn directly on the walls of MoMA's street-level gallery.
Tadáskía, 30, utilized charcoal and dry pastels in various colors to create an immersive wall drawing featuring bird-like figures amid swirling, curving shapes. The artwork includes a jagged, mouth-like red shape near the center of one section and extends 26 feet high.
The exhibition in New York is presented in collaboration with the Studio Museum in Harlem and is part of Tadáskía's first solo presentation in the United States. Her wall drawings are accompanied by works from her book "ave preta mística mystical black bird" (2022), recently acquired by MoMA. The installation also includes two curving floor sculptures.
Tadáskía's methodology involved starting with closed eyes and a prayer, allowing her to create the wall composition freely by hand. She was assisted by a team that helped fill in the colors, significantly speeding up the process. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Tadáskía has been gaining visibility, with her works also featured at the Art Basel fair in Switzerland this week. Her contribution to Art Basel's Parcours section consists of seven flags featuring abstract figures inspired by the transgender pride flag colors.
The birds in her MoMA installation were inspired by the sankofa, a mythical bird symbol used by the Akan people of Ghana, reflecting her commitment to themes of liberation and transformation.