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"Some of Powell’s pieces nod to the monstrous feminine yet do not entirely surrender to it, showing bodies in indeterminate states of hybridity, fused with plants and serpents. This journey is one that twists deeply inward before resolving outward into manifestation. “Two Kinds of Chance” and “Self” feature spirals and serpents, suggesting encounters with shadowy self-knowledge. However, a “God Might Be” and a “Brooding Hen” are more explicitly unnerving in their rather amorphous indeterminacy . . "
"Chantal Powell has built a practice that is as much about introspection as it is about connection. Her work, deeply rooted in Jungian psychology and the exploration of archetypal symbols, resonates with themes of alchemy, mythology, and the unconscious. But Chantal’s influence extends beyond her creative output; through projects like the Hogchester Arts Residency and The Red Book Club, she fosters a network of collaboration, dialogue, and shared exploration. . . "
"Chantal Powell’s feminist notion of vegetative alchemy rejects the post-Enlightenment emphasis on the mind/body divide, drawing instead on plants’ disconcerting tendency towards non-linear growth and distributed biology. Working with tactile materials such as ceramic, glass, and textile, Powell’s practice both sensuously and symbolically engages with active alchemical systems. Her work forges compelling links between embodied and vegetal states of being, in which both the plant and the human body emerge as essentially interconnected sites for metamorphosis, nourishment, and regeneration."
"Artist Chantal Powell’s sculptures and collages are intimately connected with Jung’s ideas . . . her work explores the symbolic language of the unconscious. For example, her sculpture Night Journey Study (2021), included in Roman Road’s recent pop-up group show “A Gothic Midsummer,” focuses on the symbol of the ladder as a means of ascent into and out of the subconscious or underworld, and the boat as a means of safe passage in darkness."
"Chantal Powell's mysterious sculptures celebrate the personal art of transformation . . ."
Conjure, a group show co-curated with Chantal Powel featuring hand built ceramics that speak to the artist’s hand and realm of the unseen.
"In these works, the yearning to embrace a non-linear but circular dimension of time is evident: there is no beginning and no end, but eternity in the transformation and interconnectedness of every living thing. Many archetypal forms of strong, symbolic value appear here, such as the beast, the fountain, the water, the vase, the spiral, the mask.” Marina Dacci, 2022 (from the exhibition text)
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