INFORMATION

BIOGRAPHY

Portrait by Jemma Rose Mould.

Chris Soal (b. 1994) is an award-winning, emerging South African artist.

Soal’s studio-based practice is sculptural in its output, working with objects and materials in ways which show not only a conceptual engagement with the contexts and histories of the objects, but that also re-enforce the body as a site for knowledge reception and production.

Soal’s works seek to make a poetic statement through the simplest of means, engaging the viewer’s spatial awareness and perception while challenging societal assumptions of value.

Through his use of discarded and mundane ephemera, such as toothpicks and bottle caps, along with concrete, rebar, electric fencing cable and other industrial materials, Soal’s work intuitively develops the familiar to the point of the uncanny. Soal’s works can be considered as a social abstraction that is deeply rooted and reflective of having grown up in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Specifically, the artist’s work with beer bottle caps explore the legacy of gold mining in the city, with the illusory concavities and convexities of his spiralled wall pieces becoming suggestive of the appearance and disappearance of mine dumps and sinkholes. Foregrounding pressing ecological concerns, the artist’s works with toothpicks primarily consider and seek to expose the paradoxical relationship humankind has with nature, that of simultaneous dependence and domination.

CONTACT

CHRIS SOAL
︎ Instagram
︎ Email

NEWS

UPCOMING:

NOVEMBER ‘23 - ABU DHABI

Chris Soal will be unveiling some of his most recent works with WHATIFTHEWORLD at the Abu Dhabi Art Fair in the Manarat Al Saadiyat centre in booth NºA31 from the 22^nd - 26^nd of November.

NOVEMBER ‘23 - Art Cologne

Chris Soal’s and WHATIFTHEWORLD will be visible to the public at Art Cologne in Köln, Germany from the 16^th - 19^th of November in booth NºB-312.

NOVEMBER ‘23 - ARTISSIMA

Catch a glimpse of Chris Soal’s state-of-the-art work at the Artissima Fair in Torina, Italy with WHATIFTHEWORLD from the 3^rd - 5^th of November.

OCTOBER ‘23 - 1-54

Chris Soal will form part of a presentation by WHATIFTHEWORLD at the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London at booth NºW4 from the 12^th - 13^th of October.

SEPTEMBER ‘23 - ART JOBURG

Chris Soal and WHATIFTHEWORLD will present a modern collection of work at Art Joburg. Soal’s work can be found at Hub Nº4 from the 8^th - 10^th of September in Johannesburg, South Africa.

PRECEDENT:

APRIL ‘23 - SOLO EXHIBITION PIERO ATCHUGARRY MIAMI

Chris Soal and Piero Atchugarry are pleased to present ‘Finds taken for wonders’ a solo exhibition at the gallery’s Survey space in Miami. The exhibition will open from the 15^th of April.

APRIL ‘23 - ART BRUSSELS

Chris Soal and WHATIFTHEWORLD present a fresh array of work for his sophmore year at Art Brussels. Art Brussels will run from the 20-23 of April.

FEBRUARY ‘23 - ARCO MADRID

Chris Soal and Piero Atchugarry present a thoughtful collection of new work at ARCO Madrid. Soal’s work can be found at Booth 7A17 from the 22-26 of February.

FEBRUARY ‘23 - INVESTEC ART FAIR CAPE TOWN

Chris Soal and WHATIFTHEWORLD present a fresh collection of work at Investec Art Fair. Soal’s work can be found at Booth D9 from the 17-19 of February, South Africa.

JANUARY ‘23 - ZONA MACO

Chris Soal and Eduardo Secci Gallery are pleased to present a diverse collection of new works at Zona Maco in Mexico City. The collection can be found at Booth D118.

︎Click here for more information.

DECEMBER ‘22 - VILLA-LEGODI CENRE FOR SCULPTURE

Chris Soal forms part of a group presentation alongside Walter Oltmann and Usha Seejarim in ‘A Quiet Focus’ at Nirox’s new centre, Villa-Legodi Centre for Sculpture.

︎Click here for more information.

NOVEMBER ‘22 - SEEDS OF THE FIG

Chris Soal in ‘Seeds of the Fig’ a group, sculptural exhibition curated by Resevoir presented with WHATIFTHEWORLD X Krone in Tulbagh, South Africa.

︎Click here for more information.

OCTOBER ‘22 - 1-54 CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN ART FAIR

Chris Soal forms part of a group presentation by WHATIFTHEWORLD at the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London.

︎Click here for more information.

Chris Soal

SEPTEMBER ‘22 - KIAF SEOUL

Chris Soal forms part of a group presentation by Eduardo Secci Gallery at KIAF in Seoul, South Korea. View the presentation at Booth A55.

︎Click here for more information.

APRIL ‘22 - ART BRUSSELS

WHATIFTHEWORLD and Chris Soal are pleased to present a solo presentation of new works at Art Brussels 2022. View the presentation at Booth D20 in the Discovery Section.

︎Click here for more information.

PRESS

PALIMPSEST: CHRIS SOAL’S SCULPTURES REVEAL MANY MEANINGS
︎ by Drew Haller for That Eclectic

INTERVIEW
︎ with Adam Hencz for Artland

INTERVIEW
︎ with Artoday

INTERVIEW
︎ on As below so above for Tongues

INTERVIEW
︎ with Emilie Froment for Habitat Magazine

AMORPHOUS - THE SCULPTURES
OF CHRIS SOAL
︎ by Andrew Lasane for COLOSSAL

JOHANNESBURG ARTIST’S TOOTHPICK SCULPTURES POINT WAY FOR AFRICAN ABSTRACTION
︎ by Graham Wood on Wanted Online

FIELD OF VISION REVIEW
︎ by Ashraf Jamal on ArtThrob

STUDIO

TEXT

CHRIS SOAL

WORK

WORK

INFO