INFORMATION

BIOGRAPHY

Portrait by Tshego Mako.

Chris Soal (b. 1994, South Africa) is an award-winning, emerging artist living and practicing in Johannesburg. Using unconventional found objects, such as toothpicks and bottle caps, in conjunction with concrete and other industrial materials, Soal negotiates structural impacts on urban living and reflects on ecological concerns, while considering the philosophical and psychological notion of the “self.”

Soal’s spatial approach to sculpture reveals a sensitivity to texture, light and form, expressed in an abstract minimalist language. While, conceptually, his works refer to the socio-political context of their making, highlighting the histories embedded in the found material, and utilising them in a way that challenges societal assumptions of value.

In 2017, Soal graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts (Hons) at the University of Witwatersrand. He was awarded the PPC Imaginarium Award in 2018, alongside being named the winner of the Sculpture category. He has been awarded residencies by the South African Foundation of Contemporary Art, taking place in Knysna, South Africa, by the RAW Material Company in Dakar, Senegal, and the Residenza Roma by Montoro12 in 2019. He has exhibited in group shows at institutions such as the Iziko National Museum (2020), FRAC MECA, Bordeux (2019), Wits Art Museum (2017) and Stellenbosch University Museum (2018). His solo exhibition, Field of Vision, was held at WHATIFTHEWORLD in 2019. Chris Soal’s work has been included in many notable private and public collections, both locally and internationally.

CONTACT

CHRIS SOAL
︎ Instagram
︎ Email

GALLERY

WHATIFTHEWORLD
www.whatiftheworld.com
16 Buiten Street, Cape Town
South Africa

Montoro 12
www.m12gallery.com
Rome and Brussels

NEWS

NOVEMBER - PIN. AUKTION

Chris Soal is pleased to announce the inclusion of his work in the PIN. Benefit auction for the Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich.

︎Click here to view the auction.

FEBRUARY - IZIKO GROUP EXHIBITION

Chris Soal is pleased to announce the inclusion of his work in the group exhibition – Materiality at the Iziko South African National Gallery in Cape Town.

Matereality presents a survey of emerging and established artists in the 21st century who use particular media in deliberate, surprising and innovative ways. While focused primarily on South African art, it also highlights some examples from the rest of the continent.

︎Click here to view the exhibition.

PRESS

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

Q&A WITH EMERGING SOUTH AFRICAN ARTIST CHRIS SOAL
︎ with Annzra Denita on House and Leisure

Q&A WITH 2018 PPC IMAGINARIUM WINNER
︎ with Marcia Elizabeth on Bubblegum Club

FIELD OF VISION REVIEW
︎ by Ashraf Jamal on ArtThrob

ARTICLES ON BUBBLEGUM CLUB BY CHRIS SOAL
︎ by Chris Soal

INTERVIEW ON CREATIVE GHETTOS
︎ by Creative Ghettos

FABULOUSLY DISORIENTED BY THE HUMBLE TOOTHPICK
︎ by Robyn Sassen on The Arts at Large

ORBITS OF RELATING REVIEW
︎ by Michael Smith on ArtThrob

STUDIO

WORK

WORK

INFO