(At Home) Friday Art Break: Artist Talk with MISS CHELOVE

Cita Sadeli, well-known as MISS CHELOVE, is an independent muralist, designer, illustrator, and art director based in Washington, DC. Her monumental murals can be found throughout the city and around the world, in places as far flung as Pakistan, Colombia, and Belgium. Her most recent work is her most epic to date, rising seven stories up the façade of Hotel Zena in Thomas Circle. The towering project began in early March of this year and presented MISS CHELOVE, who works alone, with many challenges due to harsh weather conditions and the spread of the pandemic. Titled Guardians of the Four Directions, the work depicts two colossal warrior women of color protecting the city, a powerful counterbalance to the equestrian statue of Union General George Henry Thomas that stands at the center of the circle. This new painting is reflective of MISS CHELOVE’s practice, which focuses on themes of empowering women of color, embracing nature and the environment, and celebrating indigenous cultures and the vibrant subcultures of fashion, music, and street art. Her unique style is recognizable for its bright colors and bold outlines, influenced by her multicultural background rooted in the tropical mysticism of Java, Indonesia and her formative years exploring Washington, DC’s punk, go-go, and graffiti-fueled streets.

MISS CHELOVE joins assistant curator Betsy Johnson for a discussion about the immediacy and vulnerability of street art and the vibrant community of artists that helped her grow and continues to support her practice to this day.

This event is also part of #HirshhornInsideOut, the Museum’s initiative to bring art into your home.

This program will be recorded and made available following the event. You will find it on this page and on our YouTube channel.