CORY REYNOLDS | DATE 3/15/2024

A gorgeous and compelling new exploration of bodega culture from rising star, Tschabalala Self

“Bayo” (2017) is reproduced from hot new release Tschabalala Self: Bodega Run, edited by Sascha Bonét, designed by Pacific and published by Gregory R. Miller & Co. A remarkable publication that has been flying off shelves since the moment it arrived in our warehouses, this clothbound hardcover with zine insert features paintings, sculpture and installation works related to Self’s multiyear examination and celebration of the bodega—underrecognized “hood institution” of NYC Black and Brown communities. Self writes, “There are many inspiring and positive aspects of bodega culture, mainly the fact that these small, versatile businesses are, and always have been, owned by people of color to serve communities of color. The bodega also functions as a multicultural space within the Black diaspora, a space where individuals of African descent, from the Americas and abroad, share both social and financial interactions. … The bodega is both positive and problematic, and through this complexity its significance arises. The culture of the bodega is a reflection of so many aspects of Black and Brown city life. For this reason, the bodega is the perfect avatar by which to speak on the community at large."