”…a story sewn into cloth
Depicting genocide in colors
Stained with blood
The movement of bodies
…onto a plane
Only to arrive in a country
That erases its secrets…”
Tshab Her,
“Untitled one/growing in”
When textile artist/poet Tshab (pronounced “Cha”) Her talked with Trisha Heuring, the artistic director of the Public Functionary gallery, attendees at the Thursday, Sept. 27 artist conversation were treated to an exploration of the artist’s evolution and the sometimes circuitous paths she has trod toward an artistic practice of vibrant, non-apologetic expression and healing.
Her spoke candidly about her younger self, experiencing life with shyness and sometimes sadness, bearing pressure under parental expectations/familial norms and the ways in which fashion became her first example of self-expression and understanding that it was okay to “like” something and to choose it for oneself.
As such, fashion became Her’s entry way into a life of agency, a life of her own choosing. “Clothing became the first avenue to express who I am…my active choice to reclaim my own voice or who I wanted to be.”
The concept of reclamation and space making is one that would show up again in the installation that was the centerpiece of the exhibition, “These Moments,” which ran Sept. 7-28.
Cotton fabric, embroidery floss and beadwork inspired by Her’s Hmong heritage formed dreamlike whirls and curvatures that were suspended around the room, in a sense, creating a world for the viewer to move through. Vibrant colors instilled moments of surprise, wonder and an almost fantastical feeling to the space.
The pathway to expression and agency was not one that was clear from the beginning. Her later spoke with humor and honesty on the ways she experienced negative thinking and emotional low points and how the confidence of making choices and curating her wardrobe, space and life have encouraged living a life of further exploration. She hopes, in her work and in the outfits she wears, that she can inspire others to find the confidence to live boldly lives of their own choosing. “I love when I see other people doing their thing.”
This collaborative element is a strong current through Her’s work. From inspiration in traditional Hmong clothing and textile patterns, to working as a retail stylist for a clothing resale organization, femme retale, Her not only offers vibrant worlds via installation and fashion but is also building community and sharing a contagious sense of healing and confidence along the way.
For more on Tshab Her: https://www.tshabher.com/about, and to check out Femme Retale clothing resale: https://www.instagram.com/femme_retale/.
Aerial fabrication installation by Tshab Her. (Mary Bargout)
Her at Public Functionary. (Mary Bargout)