Chantal Lesley

Same, but Different

Archival inkjet print

"I traveled to my hometown of Brownsville, Texas for this photo. Every year in February we have a Charro days celebration where we celebrate being a border town. This was located near where several floats are stored. I found the similarities between an abandoned part of a float to the nearby brush amusing and equated it to my Peruvian roots and the Mexican community I grew up in.

My father and mother were born and raised in their respective countries of Germany and Peru. They immigrated to the Rio Grande Valley, the southernmost tip of South Texas, and a portion of northern Tamaulipas, Mexico. I, along with my siblings, are first-generation multicultural Americans. It has been hard to feel a sense of belonging or acceptance anywhere. I often question what makes up one's identity, and when several cultures are involved, is there one that dominates above the rest, or can they all live within someone harmoniously?

These feelings have led me to question my understanding of place, my sense of personal identity, and even the impressions of my memories. This project is a metaphor for the in-between– discovering a mental space that I have constructed while delving into my family's past."

– Chantal Lesley

About the artist

Chantal Lesley

Chantal Lesley (she/her) is a conceptual photographer living and working in Austin, TX. Lesley is a multicultural, first-generation American born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley, located along the U.S./Mexico border. Being the daughter of immigrants from both Germany and Peru has brought upon a feeling of being stretched between four cultures and has led her to confront ideas that focus on identity and contemporary social and political issues in her work.

Lesley acquired her BFA in Fine Art Photography from Texas State University in 2021, and her work has been exhibited throughout Texas and the U.S. 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).

Lesley has participated in notable residencies such as LATITUDE (Chicago, IL), The Line partnered with Big Medium (Austin, TX), and Vermont Studio Center (Johnson, VT). She has held solo exhibitions at the Dougherty Arts Center (Austin, TX), LHUCA (Lubbock, TX), shedshows (Austin, TX)

In 2024, Lesley will be exhibiting a solo show: Meaningful Disruption at Bradbury Art Museum, (Jonesboro, AR) and will also be an artist in residence at Chateau d'Orquevaux in Orquevaux, France.