Chantal Hildebrand

Chantal Hildebrand is a Kenyan-American linocut printmaker based in Oakland, California. Her intricate prints and carvings depict Black bodies at rest in hyper-detailed surroundings.

Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, Chantal draws from years working for racial and gender justice in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, and the United States. Her art engages with themes of imperfection, embodiment, and self-love, as well as memories of her mother.

Chantal’s art emphasizes varied human forms amidst African patterns, lush flora, and revolutionary Black literature. Her prints play with dynamics of stillness and motion, detail and void, line and texture.

Her art depicts what happens behind closed doors, when Black bodies are at rest: free from being perceived, assessed, or categorized. It manifests a world where Black bodies are honored, valued, and admired.