Chell Vassallo

Chell Vassallo is an emerging visual artist, working primarily with representational art in charcoal.

 

Born in Brazil in 1984, her childhood was marked by contact with nature and endless hours drawing. Vassallo earned a BSc in Chemical Engineering from The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and worked for one decade in the engineering field.

 

In 2013, she finally was able to dedicate her life to art as a full-time career. Since then, Vassallo has already won several awards, and her artworks are part of private collections in Dubai, Australia, Netherlands, USA, Argentina, and Brazil.

 

Vassallo's relentless personal struggles in search of the authentic self are manifested in her work.

 

Deeply inspired by Joseph Campbell's work on comparative mythology, I intend to explore our ability to create and believe in stories as a way to confront the inevitability of death. When we exit from the everyday world, and we see ourselves outside the familiar territory, a sort of map is paramount to keep us moving toward the desired direction. I utilize mythological narratives as the guide, and I combine dramatic negative spaces with monochromatic representations in charcoal to create an atmosphere marked by tension and resilience.

 

The development of my work is influenced in form and content by my academic background in Chemical Engineering. (interest in the nature of matter). I find rapture in utilizing simple materials like charcoal to build stories that talk about the nature of our species.

 

 

* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 15^th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.