A descendant of Chinese migrants, born and raised in Tecate, Baja California, a town that sits directly on the border between Mexico and the United States, Chantal Peñalosa Fong’s artistic practice is grounded in the historical, social and emotional intricacies of border life. Through installations and narrative interventions, she frequently weaves together personal and collective memories, using a wide array of methods and materials. 

Peñalosa Fong’s work grows out of an enduring curiosity about the world around her, a sensibility that has shaped her since childhood. Looking back at her development as an artist, she fondly recalls the hours spent in her grandfather’s library, surrounded by the promise of new knowledge. “I remember how every time I flipped through a book I felt like I was getting closer to discovering something that had been hidden. Knowing there were other worlds, far different from the one I knew, largely led me to want to continue that search through art,” she said.

A sustained interest in themes of time, labor, repetition, identity, and invisibility also recurs throughout her oeuvre. And, in many ways, Peñalosa Fong sees her practice as an excuse to propitiate conversations with other disciplines, such as science, history, and the metaphysical world. “If my work isn’t in dialogue with something else, it’s clear to me that it’s not finished. I need to feel connected to the world, in the best and worst sense.”

Reflecting on her time at Fountainhead, she said, “It’s one of the most generous places I've ever been to. I quickly felt like I was part of a family and that brought forth many ideas that sometimes don't come to me for months. It’s been a true gift to be in this place—to be surrounded by so many people who are genuinely interested in exploring the world of an artist.”