Monolithic Modern: Chantel Woodman
PHOTOGRAPH PROVIDED BY FOUNDRY GALLERY
Chantel's journey as an artist began when she was left at a crossroad in her personal life. Without her realizing, this event was the moment of inception for what would later become a personal transformation and the drive for her being. Art turned into the source for ‘writing her own language’ and facing truths about herself.
Berlin is where the journey of self-discovery started. Still in her youth, a plan came to play, determined to stay true to her vision, she mapped out the path to embark on with precision. It wasn’t long before all of that was challenged and she found herself abandoning all notions of what she believed art was.
PHOTOGRAPH PROVIDED BY FOUNDRY GALLERY
It was during this time that she began exploring with themes out of her comfort zone, leaving the figurative behind and submerging herself completely in the abstract. Drawing inspiration from the graphic quality of African tribal languages, her artistic identity was born.
Upon her return to South Africa, she started attending an art course at Michaelis School of Fine Art. Surrounding herself with other artists and intellectuals fueled a fire; an excitement to create and an opportunity to dream. Choosing clay as medium to work in happened as unexpectedly as her decision to leave her career in a corporate law firm. She was introduced to ceramics by a fellow artist who convinced her to try her hand and it. Having no prior experience with the medium, she began exploring and soon found herself lost in it.
PHOTOGRAPH PROVIDED BY FOUNDRY GALLERY
Most people describe her work as angular and geometric. The sculptures she creates are born from a process of adding and subtracting until the work is distilled into its purest form. It’s almost impossible to separate the influences from native linguistic graphics and the final three-dimensional composition. I personally feel that it is anchored in something much deeper than the jagged angles, but finds its weight in monolithic qualities of the prehistoric.
Chantel’s work resonates with most viewer, not only because of its artistic excellence but because it inspires. There is an underlying silence in the work that is universally understood. It makes you wonder and forces you to engage with its 3D form.
PHOTOGRAPH PROVIDED BY FOUNDRY GALLERY
This remarkable artist believes that art is the extension of one’s personality, that of the-self at a moment in time. She is of the opinion that art doesn’t always have to make sense but that it has a responsibility towards the pragmatic, intellectual and emotional. “Art is in everything, from the way we design a chair to the way we brush our hair.”
PHOTOGRAPH PROVIDED BY FOUNDRY GALLERY
PHOTOGRAPH PROVIDED BY FOUNDRY GALLERY
Apart from countless hours of working in the studio, I believe her success is a direct result of her attitude towards people and life in general. “Do it like you only have one chance” – those are the words that drive her ambition. Her charismatic personality is intoxicating and rubs off within the first five minutes of being in her conversation. “What you put in, is what you’ll attract.”
