The work of British artist Chantal Powell is made in response to her personal journey into understanding the symbolic language of the unconscious. A PhD in psychology and an ongoing study of Jungian theory and alchemical symbolism inform her practice.
Living and working on the Jurassic Coast (West Dorset) Chantal’s practice is inevitably shaped by the elemental cycles and forms spiralling within deep time. Over recent years she has also been researching first-hand the imagery in alchemical manuscripts and notebooks from the 15th and 16th century. Combining archetypal symbols and metaphors from these sources, alongside those from mythology and personal inner work, she uses a Jungian art-based research approach to facilitate our understanding of the human psyche.
Materiality and process are key to her practice, and she embraces a variety of mediums that include ceramic, glass, metal, textiles and painting in order to express the symbolic material within archetypal imagery. Clay has been a constant and prominent material of choice. Drawn to its elemental nature and transformative quality she creates glazed works in an electric kiln, and also embraces the alchemy of traditional smoke firing techniques that utilise the elements of fire, smoke and natural materials. Recently she has been making pieces that combine ceramics with blown and flame-worked glass elements as she further expands her skill set.
Chantal has exhibited at galleries and institutions across the UK and internationally including The Lightbox Museum, Woking; La Boulangerie, Paris; Arusha Gallery, Edinburgh/London/Bruton; Guildhall Art Gallery, London; Orange County Museum of Art, California; WW Gallery, Venice, amongst others.
She was awarded Arts Council DYCP funding in 2024, was shortlisted for The Mark Tanner Sculpture award in 2015, and received a-n professional development bursaries in 2019 and 2022. She is also the founder of the contemporary arts residency program Hogchester Arts in West Dorset and hosts the Jungian online book club and speaker program The Red Book Club. She presents courses, talks and workshops on archetypal symbolism and psychological alchemy and is a faculty lecturer at JungArchademy in America. She has co-curated exhibitions at Arusha Gallery in Bruton, The LightBox Museum in Woking, and Hogchester Arts in West Dorset.
Visit Chantal Powell’s website and Instagram page.
Featured work
Selected works, 2022-2024
“Chantal Powell’s mysterious sculptures celebrate the personal art of transformation. Her research of alchemists’ notebooks from the 15th and 16th centuries translates into beautifully crafted sculptures that go a long way in understanding the ancient branch of natural philosophy”
– Katy Cowan, Creative Boom
