About | Tays Studio 22

Bio

Hi, I’m Chaunte Norman, a Toronto-based artist and Drawing & Painting major at OCAD University. My work is rooted in large-scale painting and shaped by my interest in themes like gender, race, sexuality, society, and scale. I use Surrealism and Intersectional Feminism as tools to reimagine identity and challenge dominant narratives.

Before studying at OCAD, I completed the Fine Arts, Design, and Visual Arts program at Georgian College in Barrie, ON. That time allowed me to explore a wide range of media—everything from photography and Adobe Suite to 2D and 3D work—giving me a strong, well-rounded foundation in both conceptual and technical practices.

I’m drawn to art that pushes boundaries and invites deeper thought, and I see my creative practice as a space for both personal reflection and social commentary. I’m always looking to grow, connect, and collaborate with other artists who are just as passionate about using art to make meaningful impact.

Artist Statement

Throughout my life, I have always enjoyed creating and experimenting with various mediums. During my time at Georgian College I had the opportunity to delve deeper into the world of art and explore various styles and techniques. Through my studies, I developed a keen understanding of the different art forms and techniques, which allowed me to experiment with new techniques and mediums. It was through this process that I discovered my interests in Surrealism, Intersectional Feminism, and large-scale paintings.

In particular, the amalgamation of Surrealism and Feminism was a fascinating area of exploration for me. I found that it allowed me to create a sense of vulnerability and evoke uncertainty within myself. This approach was designed to encourage viewers to question the intention and process behind my concepts, as well as the intersections of meaning through the lens of gender, race, sexuality, and scale. Through the use of metaphors, my painting "Insecurities'' provides an example of how I achieve this.

As I delved deeper into Surrealism and Intersectional Feminism, I became interested in modern society's relationship with social media and its impact on social connections. Through the use of color and metaphor, I aimed to encourage viewers to reflect on their use of media and its effects on their lives. My print "Social Disconnection" is a prime example of this approach.

I showed you real life.
It wasn’t enough.

So I carved it in glass.

What does it feel like?

Like a million fireflies
lighting up the soul,
wrapping their arms around you.
Warm and safe.

The beating of their heart,
alive, calm, real.

It feels like this.

Every person eventually meets
their person.

You know,
the “maybe in another life” type.

Held together by passion,
by heart,
by soul.

There were no worries.
Safe from judgment.
They were the type you could finally
just be yourself with.

Every mythology begins with a fracture. Mine begins with a mirror.

This work is my return to myself, the shadowed parts, the softened parts, the parts that survived being misunderstood.

It’s a reminder that growth isn’t for the people who come and go.

It’s for you who never leaves.
For the younger self who believed.
For the present self who endures.
For the future self who blooms.

A cycle of past, present, and becoming.
A ritual of stitching the body back to itself

Opened fruit. Opened flesh.
They take what glows and swear they know you.
A body in fragments, held together by the one place no one has reached.

Fighting for my life w a 10 page essay meanwhile my cat’s living her best? 🤦🏽‍♀️

The day he left me was the day I died, but then I was reborn as a witch 🍷

I’ve been building this series around the pomegranate — a symbol of body, power, and control.

It traces a quiet story:
“The Offering,” the beginning of awakening.
“The Bloom,” openness and vulnerability.
“The Take,” the act of possession.
“The Devour,” consumption and loss.
“The Gaze of Restraint,” the body bound by judgment, reclaiming its own power.

This series is about how women are encouraged to be desired, yet punished when they take ownership of that desire.

The ropes represent the invisible restraints we live under — the expectations, the judgment, the gaze.

The fruit sits just out of reach.

Freedom, but not yours to take. 🍷

— “Pomegranate” series, oil on canvas

Shame Isn’t Freedom
18x24
Digital Print

Through the use of brutalism—an aesthetic historically tied to authority—this digital collage of fragmented female anatomy critiques the power structures that dissect, control, and shame women’s bodies. The fragmented forms reflect how institutions and media reduce women to parts, stripping value from bodily wholeness and autonomy. Freedom is not shame stands as a direct rebellion against imposed shame, affirming the right to embrace and value one’s body without fear.

Created digitally, the piece critiques media’s role in distorting, censoring, and manipulating body narratives. Brutalist design elements—raw typography, stark composition—subvert the visual language of institutional power, reclaiming it as a tool for resistance.

This work challenges institutional critique by confronting systems that dictate how bodies are perceived and who controls those perceptions. It invites viewers to question the forces shaping their understanding of identity, freedom, and expression.

Who has the right to define freedom? Who decides what is shameful?

I wanted my work to display what happened to the world today and how the media has skewed the lens of “intimacy” Ie what it truly means. Focusing on the other kinds of physical connection intimacy has and not just focusing on the sexual aspect, as there are various layers to intimacy. Type 1: Bonding Intimacy (Green), Type 2: Coupling Intimacy (Purple), Type 3: Sexual Intimacy (Orange)

Painting “intimacy” What is true and authentic? With the understanding of the world today and how media has skewed the lens of intimacy... to only be one thing... iykyk

I aimed to create work that reflected a traditional man’s expectations of women. These often include roles such as cooking, cleaning, nurturing children, behaving demurely, and giving their bodies away without receiving anything in return. To symbolize the concept of the body, I chose cherry and used a maid’s outfit to represent the endless expectations placed upon women.

This is a sensitive topic, as these were some of the traditional values I was exposed to in my childhood. Although I am currently in a healthy relationship, I often think back to what I was taught and wonder about my partner’s expectations. I also question whether I unknowingly display any of these traits, as they have been ingrained in me throughout my life.

The choice not to display a face represents what has been lost: a sense of self-worth and the identity that can fade away when trying to please a traditional man. Lastly, the dark turquoise background symbolizes the journey I underwent to understand why I sometimes feel unsafe in relationships. This color is often associated with clarity of thought and balance and is believed to foster creative thinking and emotional expression.

I wanted to challenge the “male gaze” by the subtraction of genitalia. Taking away the genitalia is to take it back from the gaze. The hollow eyes are to speak of how the model isn’t engaging in an intimate act, as eye contact can also be perceived as sexual or intimate. If you engage with my pieces and move closer to the painting, you can see the background has the detail of “cherries,” as they are often linked to genitalia. Lastly, the masking is supposed to be a virus or parasite, “something that is no longer in our control,” Ie “the male gaze.” It’s just arms, legs, hands, and a glimpse of the face with no expression involved; the figure is missing an “important” aspect and still can create discomfort? “The body is just a body, and you as the viewer have the choice to dissociate it from being sexual.” Final question: If I mention the model’s gender, would the pieces create more or less discomfort?

Have you ever fallen so effortlessly into someone’s hands? You debate whether you’re still asleep, just lying there hopeless!?

This is a visual reflection of Derek Liddington’s “The Marbled Form in Darkness and Light, In Bloom and Rot, Both Laugh and Cry, They Beckon and Scream, In Love and Hate” (2023) [oil on canvas] MacLaren Art Centre.

I focused on Liddington’s concept of rotting organics. For my subject matter, I chose a decaying cherry. The thought of the cherry and its link to female anatomy; having the cherry decaying symbolizes the idea of losing one’s virginity or the ideology of no longer being “pure.” This concept came from Liddington’s title “The Marbled Form in Darkness and Light, In Bloom and Rot, Both Laugh and Cry, They Beckon and Scream, In Love and Hate”. This title made me think about losing something deemed so highly of a young woman, as it’s compelling but shameful, in bloom and rot, something that can make you laugh but cry, beckon and scream, love but hate.

Arise! Fine Arts Student Exhibition

March 28th-April 17 2024

The Campus Gallery Barrie, ON

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