Chastel was born and raised in Belgium, obtaining a Master’s in Mathematics before moving to New York and working in finance. She began taking drawing classes at the Art Student’s League, which led to figurative sculptures in terracotta and bronze, and finally mastering the art of welding. In working toward finding a formal precedent for her creative output, the artist refers to two specific divergent areas in her own life: her background in high-level mathematics, and her aesthetic preoccupation with symmetry. Her current sculptures are motivated by the connection between the natural world and Plato’s and Archimedes’ studies of mathematics.  The ancient science of Sacred Geometry, the notion that sacred shapes were not invented but found, is of particular interest. Often called “Sacred Architecture”, this realm of study is aptly named because it underlies everything, woven into the fabric of all creation. Utilizing her skills as a welder, Chastel has been able to actualize these natural shapes into bodies that can be viewed, critiqued, and ultimately create awareness that our physical world is intrinsically connected to geometry and symmetry.  Chastel employs a multi-faceted approach to her concepts, working with aluminum, patinated copper, and steel while using various techniques to transfer pigment onto metal.

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In examining her own inspirations, the artist finds a rift between works by artists who represent opposite poles in the canon of modern art. For Chastel, the process of creating artwork is antagonistic to the premise that form for forms sake and rigorous conceptual work are mutually exclusive: it is about imbuing form with conceptual gravity, grounding conceptual concerns with steadfast formal value. Chastel’s designs are conceptual but fixated on geometric form – there is no intended narrative in her work, only origin. Her sculptures encourage the viewer to find resonance in the relationship between geometry and the substance of natural life. What can these shapes tell us about human existence? How does symmetry influence and inform the natural patterns we see physically and conceptually every day?  Recently, Chastel has considered how bodies found in the world today are disturbed by environmental changes. While her current works showcase geometric shapes in their complete constructions, Chastel now finds herself seduced by forms in their incomplete status. Her concepts do not aim to find solutions, but to ponder whether a shifting environment is a neutral event in the overarching scope of planetary history. Is it possible that the destruction we perceive through incomplete forms is not their deterioration but rather their inevitable transformation?