Christopher Moller Gallery | Peace is Calling: Walking the Tightrope of Seasonal Metamorphosis

Chelsea Young’s paintings are internal responses to natural environments, an attempt to recreate the stillness and gentle essence found in nature and, in turn, within each human being.

Through painting, she seeks to access a peaceful and balanced world, removed from the noise and excessiveness that have become characteristic of modern life.

Young is deeply inspired by the interplay between stillness and movement in the natural world. She is drawn to the quiet yet dynamic energy that surrounds all living things, constantly seeking the harmony that exists within this balance. Before beginning a painting, she experiences a deep compulsion, a yearning to create a space of gentleness and calm.

This space reflects the fleeting moments of tranquillity she encounters in nature, moments that seem to call to her until she finally picks up a brush and translates them onto the canvas.

Once a painting is complete, it takes on a life of its own, evoking in her a longing to step inside that world once more. This ongoing tension, the pursuit of rediscovering that internal space, only to be compelled to explore it further, drives her creative process. Her work becomes an exploration of peace, a journey she considers an honour to undertake.

Born in one of Africa’s fifty-four unique nations, Young feels humbled by her deep connection to the continent. She has lived and created in spaces near the Masai Mara, the Okavango Delta, Table Mountain, and the Kruger National Park. These wilderness areas, along with the people who coexist within them, are central to her creative practice. As she continues to travel across the continent with curiosity, she seeks to uncover the gentle omnipresence that exists beneath its bold, vibrant, and dynamic landscapes.

Young’s paintings serve as allies in bringing light to the world, offering a reminder of perfect stillness and the innate human ability to access a state of rest and unity. Within Africa’s vast natural wilderness, she finds a stillness that mirrors the quietude within each individual. This is the whisper of her paintings—a calling for peace.

This show runs from 22 January - 6 March 2026.