Andrea du Chatenier is a sculptor turned ceramicist. With her current practice Du Chatenier has turned her focus to ceramics, exploring inherent qualities of the medium. Her direction over the last five years also shows a departure from the figurative evident in earlier work. The forms are more abstracted, commonly stacked together as towering structures. They may appear archaic or futuristic, alternatively organic or artificial. There is a tactile quality emphasised in her use of ceramic glazing. The glaze dresses these forms with varying material qualities – a flatness or sheen, stasis or flow. It appears cracked on the surfaces and running thickly like a melted substance.
She holds a BFA from Auckland University and a Masters of Fine Arts from RMIT, Melbourne. She has received numerous grants and awards for her accomplished and challenging work, including selection for the Sao Paulo Biennale, the Wallace Arts Trust Vermont Award, and the Portage Ceramics Residency Award at Guldagergaard, Denmark. After completing the Tylee Cottage Artist Residency at the Sarjeant Gallery in 2004, Andrea set up studio in Wanganui. Du Chatenier has shown widely both nationally and internationally for more than a decade.