Chantal Lesley 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).
In 2021, Lesley was recognized as an Honorable Mention recipient of the Lenscratch Student Prize. In 2022, Lesley was an Artist in Residence at LATITUDE (Chicago, IL) and exhibited her first solo show titled En Medio de la Nostalgia at the Dougherty Arts Center (Austin, TX).
In 2023 Lesley will particupate in The 2nd Quanzhou International Image Biannual, Huaguang Photography Art Museum, (Fujian, China), and will be an artist in residence for The Line partnered with Big Medium in Austin, TX.