METEOR, ceramic

French artist Clementine de Chabaneix works in sculpture, drawing, and installation. Her artworks often deal with the pain of metamorphosis and of leaving childhood behind. De Chabaneix expresses these themes with a subdued color palette and quiet symbolism.

DOGŪ CÉLESTE, ceramic

On her own website, de Chabaneix describes her work as “romantic, [and] a bit gothic…” This idea does seem to perfectly encapsulate the look and feel of her works. Employing a minimalist, sometimes naive-style hand, the artist draws figures that are both whimsical, and undercut with a certain implacable darkness.

I adore de Chabaneix’s sculptures. Her three-dimensional ceramic works have a certain rough, slightly unfinished look that seems very deliberate and creates a sort of childlike sensibility -- an atmosphere that’s almost “cute.” Soft, rounded faces on human figures, cats, and bears enforce the parallels between these figures and, for example, stuffed toys or cloth dolls.

NUIT MONSTRE, india ink on paper