May 2022 AIR: Chantal Lesley
We are excited to share the work of our May Artist in Residence - Chantal Lesley
Learn more about their practice and the explanation of why they use the color red in their work.
Self-Portrait: What Are You?, 2021
Q & A
Q: I LOVE HEARING ABOUT FOOD CULTURE. AS SOMEONE WHO GREW UP IN A MEXICAN BORDER TOWN WITH PERUVIAN AND GERMAN HERITAGE, I AM INTERESTED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE FOODS, THINGS YOU ENCOUNTERED THAT WERE FOREIGN BUT EXCITING, OR SOMETHING YOU ATE TOO MUCH OF AND CAN NEVER HAVE AGAIN. WAS FOOD AND COOKING ESSENTIAL IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD?
I definitely have a deep love for food and consider myself to have a curious palette. Where do I begin? I definitely grew up with all of my culture's cuisines, some of my favorite dishes are:
(Mexican) Chicken mole - This one is all about the sauce which is sweet, spicy, and savory
(Peruvian) Aji de gallina - It's a creamy chicken stew served with steamed rice.
Anticuchos - which are grilled beef hearts on skewers
(German) Rouladen - Thin slices of beef that are wrapped around pickles, onions, and bacon
I would definitely say food and cooking are essential to my family. My grandparents owned a restaurant in Peru and lived on the floor above it. I recall childhood memories of my mom and I visiting Peru in the summers and staying there. Playing with my cousins and then running down the stairs into the restaurant to eat my grandmother's cooking, which is unlike any other, is something I remember fondly. Ironically, my mom was/is not very fond of cooking, but my dad was, and his mother was a cook as well. Through the dishes he made, I had countless opportunities to connect to my German heritage.
Lastly, growing up in a "Tex-Mex" border town I was surrounded by Mexican food all the time and was very fortunate to have many friends whose mothers would share their dishes with me.
Q: REVIEWING YOUR WORKS, I SEE THAT YOU USE RED A LOT. SPECIFICALLY, A PASSION RED. WHAT DOES THE COLOR RED SYMBOLIZE FOR YOU IN YOUR WORK?
I'm so happy you've asked this! At first, I would say the use of the color red was for aesthetic purposes. It was bold and captivating, and it is a color that is typically used in Latin folk art. As I reflected on my images, I realized that the color red was also a metaphor for the way I felt. Red is one of the most complex colors and has a wide variety of symbolic meanings from love and passion, to anger and violence, and even religious fervor — all themes which I could see throughout my own life. As the color’s meaning deepened, I came to realize that it was the only color that was present in all four flags of the countries/heritages that I associate with: American, Mexican, German, and Peruvian.
In the Midst of My Nostalgia, 2021
Q: THE USE OF THE SELF-PORTRAIT IN YOUR WORK IS TRULY UNIQUE AND BOLD. WHAT DRAWS YOU TO TELL YOUR STORY IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA? WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE AFRAID TO GET IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA?
The need to work with self-portraiture came as a response to my adolescence of not seeing people who looked like me portrayed in the media. While pursuing my BFA, in class we'd consider the ethics of taking someone's photo and how they are represented. I knew that the topics that I was starting to explore could be uncomfortable and I understood the power I had as someone with a camera. I never wanted anyone to succumb to the pressure of being portrayed in a way that they didn't agree with. Also, my work tends to be a retelling of stories that have occurred to me in my own life, so it's important that the story is told by me and of me. It's a way that I regain my power and agency as a woman of color by demanding to be seen.
La Alegria de la Familia (The Joy of the Family), 2021
Q: WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WATCHING, READING, OR LISTENING TO? IS THERE ANYONE/ANYTHING NATIVE TO TEXAS THAT CHICAGOANS SHOULD KNOW MORE ABOUT?
For my project En Medio de la Nostalgia that I'll be producing during my residency, I read Borderlands by Gloria Anzaldua. That book really helped me process certain themes and images that were coming out subconsciously. Anzaldua is also from the Rio Grande Valley, and this particular book identifies a growing population that cannot distinguish these invisible "borders.” It is about a group of people who have learned to become a part of both worlds; worlds that still have cultural expectations whose people are still expected to abide by, which is definitely relatable in my life and work.
Q: YOU JUST GRADUATED- CONGRATULATIONS! WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT POST-SCHOOL?
Thank you so much! At my graduation party, my aunt made me my favorite dish (Aji de Gallina) and that alone felt like all the hard work had been worth it haha. I'm of course so excited to be an artist in residence at Latitude, which is helping me prepare for my first solo exhibition that will be taking place in Austin, TX from July to September of this year. I'm also excited to be starting my career in UX Design and continuing my art practice. There is so much I want to pursue when it comes to creating art and I am hoping to branch out into a multidisciplinary practice that will feed my curiosities.
Portrait of My Mother as a Child, 2020
CHANTAL LESLEY
Chantal Lesley is a conceptual photographer living and working in Austin, TX. She is a multicultural, first-generation American originally born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley, located along the U.S./Mexico border. Being the daughter of immigrants, having cultural backgrounds from both Germany and Peru has inflicted a feeling of being stretched between four cultures and has led her to confront ideas that focus on identity and sociological contemporary issues in her work. Lesley has recently acquired her BFA in Fine Art Photography from Texas State University, and her work has been exhibited throughout Texas and the US. Selected shows include Houston Center for Photography, Houston, TX; Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX; Touchstone Gallery, Washington D.C; and Humble Arts Foundation, New York City, NY. In 2021, she was recognized as an Honorable Mention recipient of the Lenscratch Student Prize.