Chantal Lesley (she/her) is an artist based in Austin, TX. As a multicultural, first-generation American born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley along the U.S./Mexico border, Lesley’s work is deeply informed by her experience of being stretched between four cultures. The daughter of Peruvian and German immigrants, she explores themes of identity, belonging, and contemporary social and political issues through her art.

Lesley earned her BFA in Fine Art Photography from Texas State University in 2021, and her work has been exhibited across Texas and the U.S. Notable exhibitions include the Houston Center for Photography (Houston, TX), Craighead Green Gallery (Dallas, TX), Touchstone Gallery (Washington, D.C.), and Humble Arts Foundation (New York, NY). She has been selected for prestigious residencies, including LATITUDE (Chicago, IL), The Line in partnership with Big Medium (Austin, TX), Vermont Studio Center (Johnson, VT), and Château d'Orquevaux (Orquevaux, France). Lesley has also held solo exhibitions at the Dougherty Arts Center (Austin, TX), LHUCA (Lubbock, TX), shedshows (Austin, TX), and Bradbury Art Museum (Jonesboro, AR).

In 2025, she will serve as an Artist in Residence at KUNSTRAUM in Brooklyn, NY, followed by a residency at kala in Berkeley, CA. Later in the year, she will debut new work in her solo exhibition, As I Lay It All to Rest, at the Oak Cliff Cultural Center in Dallas, TX.