about
Chanelle Kalfas is a New York based painter whose work is informed by her cross-cultural upbringing, elusive search for joy, and ever-evolving sense of self.
Chanelle’s pieces center subjects who are at peace, fully self-possessed and open to being seen in their totality, despite an onslaught of external projections. As a first-generation Ghanaian-American, she is attracted to the idea of de-centering whiteness in her work, without entirely disregarding its effect on how we see ourselves as we move through the world. Her paintings are a means to explore the lived experiences and interior lives of those existing at the intersection of different identities.
Her practice is a means of rejecting singular categorization, with the depth and variance of each individual’s skin reflecting the richness and multitudes that lie within.
Chanelle lives in Harlem, New York City (and sometimes Connecticut) with her husband and young son.