CHRIS SOAL

CURRICULUM VITAE




GROUP EXHIBITIONS


2025 - Breaking the Mold: Brooklyn Museum at 200.
Brooklyn, New York


2025
- Seven Contours, One Collection.
Permanent exhibition at the Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MACAAL), Morocco


2025
- The Floridi Collection: A Journey Through History and Contemporary Art, curated by Giuliana Benassi.
Fondazione D’Arc, Rome

2025 - We, the People: 30 Years of Democracy in South Africa, curated by Liese van der Watt.
Norval Foundation, Cape Town


2024 
- My World curated by Hans den Hartog Jager, Singer Laren,
Laren

2024 - Collection Majudia, Selection of Works from the Collection - Summer 2024,
Arsenal Contemporary, Montreal

2024 - IOTA24,
John Curtin Gallery, Perth

2023 - l’Art de Rien,
CENTRALE, Brussels


2022 - To Whistle Back,
Oude Leeskamer, Stellenbosch


2022 - A Quiet New Focus, curated by Sven Christian, Villa Legodi Centre for Sculpture,
Johannesburg

2022 - Seeds of the Fig, Krone x WHATIFTHEWORLD, curated by RESEVOIR, Tulbagh

2021 - In Times Like These... and Other Stories,
WHATIFTHEWORLD,
Cape
Town

2021 - Witness, curated by Natasha Becker
Piero Atchugarry Gallery,
Miami


2021 - Margins of Error, Curated by Marta Moriarty, Nirox Sculpture Park, 
Johannesburg

2020Matereality,
Iziko South African National Gallery
Cape Town


2019Il est une fois à l’Ouest, Frac Nouvelle-Aquitaine MÉCA, 
Bordeaux

2018Germination,
RAW Material Company
Dakar


AWARDS,  FELLOWSHIPS, RESIDENCIES,  AND COLLABORATIONS



2025 – Fellow of the Ampersand Foundation. Residency, NYC

2025 – Residency Award by Fundación Patiño in recognition of artist's presentation at Zona Maco, held at Villa Albina, Bolivia

2024 – African Leadership Initiative - Young Leaders Fellow (5th Class)

2022 – Southern African Foundation for Contemporary Art Residency Award, Abbaye de la Cambre, Brussels

2021 – NIROX Foundation Residency, Nirox Sculpture Park, Johannesburg

2020 – Selected as one of ten contemporary artists to participate in the 5th edition of the Christian Dior Lady Art project

2020 – Recipient of The Claire & Edoardo Villa Will Trust Grant

2019 – SEED Award - Presented by the Southern African Foundation for Contemporary Art (SAFFCA)

2018 – Fellow of the RAW Academié Session 5, directed by Otobong Nkanga. RAW Material Company, Dakar

2018 – PPC Imaginarium Award, Overall winner, and winner of the Sculpture category

2018 – Southern African Foundation for Contemporary Art Residency Award, Knysna


COLLECTIONS

Chris Soal has works in numerous private and public collections, both in South Africa and Internationally. Notable collections include:

The Brooklyn Museum, USA

de Young Museum, The Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco


The MACAAL Museum,
Morocco

MONA - The Museum of Old and New Art,
Tasmania

Fondazione D’Arc,
Rome

The Bunker Artspace (The Beth Rudin DeWoody collection),
West Palm Beach

Galila’s P.O.C.,
Brussels

The Braunsfelder Family Collection,
Cologne

The Perez Collection,
Miami

LAM Museum,
Lisse

The Kelly and Scott Mueller Collection,
USA

The EKARD Collection,
Netherlands, USA

Frédéric de Goldschmidt Collection - Cloud Seven,
Brussels

Arsenal Contemporary | The Majudia Collection,
Montreal; Toronto; New York

The Scheryn Art Collection,
South Africa

Southern African Foundation for Contemporary Art (SAFFCA),
South Africa, France, Belgium

Kavita Chellaram Art collection,
London, Lagos

Martin Nielsen Collection,
Denmark

D+C Family Collection and Art Foundation,
Miami, Bogotá

The Trevor Noah Collection,
South Africa and USA

Francesca Lavazza Collection,
Turin



INFORMATION






Portrait by Matt Slater.


Chris Soal (b. 1994) is a South African artist whose critically acclaimed sculpture practice—shaped by a Johannesburg upbringing and now based in Cape Town—has garnered international recognition for its innovative engagement with materiality, perception, and place.

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 perceptual habits while challenging core societal preconceptions of value and hierarchy.

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

Working symbiotically with his materials, Soal utilises the inherent physical characteristics of the objects to transform them through processes of aggregation, combination and erosion to interrogate views of nature and culture as a binary concept – seeking to foreground pressing ecological concerns by repositioning the viewer as an active agent within the contemporary environment. Despite the artificiality of his materials, his process allows them to take on biomorphic qualities or evoke natural phenomena, expressing his interest in their phenomenological qualities.



CONTACT

CHRIS SOAL
︎ Instagram
︎ Email


NEWS


‘25 - BROOKLYN MUSEUM
A piece of Soal’s work was gifted to the Brooklyn Museum, in honour of the Brooklyn Museum's 200th Anniversary. You can find it in the Contemporary Art, Northeast Corner, Overlook Gallery.


‘25 - MACAAL
Located in Marrakech, Morocco,  MACAAL shows its permanent collection as apart of its Seven Contours, One Collection exhibition, displaying Soal’s work.


APRIL ‘25 - DALLAS ART FAIR   
Taking place in Dallas from April 10th-13th, 2025, the Dallas Art Fair will explore the theme 'The Importance of Art Amid Social Unrest.' Pierro Atchugarry Gallery will be participating in this important event, showcasing Soal’s work.


APRIL ‘25 - MIART
Milan's premier modern and contemporary art fair, from April 4th - 6th, 2025, at Allianz Mico, continues to be a significant platform for international contemporary artist, Chris Soal.


APRIL ‘25 - SP Arte
Hosted in São Paulo from April 2nd-6th, 2025, the Latin American Art Fair showcases the best of contemporary art. Pierro Atchugarry Gallery is proud to present a curated selection of Soal’s works at this prestigious event.


FEBRUARY ‘25 - THE CAPE TOWN ART FAIR
The 12th edition of the Investec Cape Town Art Fair took place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) from Feb 21th - 23rd. The theme "Celebrating Art, Creativity, and Exploration Through the Power of Play" resonated with Soal's dynamic and thought-provoking pieces.


FEBRUARY ‘25 - ZONA MACO
Chris Soal showcased his work at Mexico City's esteemed Centro Cultural Universitario Tlatelolco from the 5th - 9th. As a result of this exhibition, he was granted a residency in Bolivia, where he will further explore and develop his artistic practice.


PRESS


UNEARTHING LAYERS: CHRIS SOAL’S ‘SURFACE TENSION’
︎ by Misha Krynauw for Artthrob

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

CURRICULUM VITAE


SOLO EXHIBITIONS





































GROUP EXHIBITIONS






























































AWARDS,  FELLOWSHIPS, RESIDENCIES,  AND COLLABORATIONS



































COLLECTIONS




2025 - Breaking the Mold: Brooklyn Museum at 200.
Brooklyn, New York


2025
- Seven Contours, One Collection.
Permanent exhibition at the Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MACAAL), Morocco


2025
- The Floridi Collection: A Journey Through History and Contemporary Art, curated by Giuliana Benassi.
Fondazione D’Arc, Rome

2025 - We, the People: 30 Years of Democracy in South Africa, curated by Liese van der Watt.
Norval Foundation, Cape Town


2024
- My World curated by Hans den Hartog Jager, Singer Laren,
Laren

2024 - Collection Majudia, Selection of Works from the Collection - Summer 2024,
Arsenal Contemporary, Montreal

2024 - IOTA24,
John Curtin Gallery, Perth

2023 - l’Art de Rien,
CENTRALE, Brussels


2022 - To Whistle Back,
Oude Leeskamer, Stellenbosch


2022 - A Quiet New Focus, curated by Sven Christian,
Villa Legodi Centre for Sculpture,
Johannesburg

2022 - Seeds of the Fig, Krone x WHATIFTHEWORLD, curated by RESEVOIR, Tulbagh

2021 - In Times Like These... and Other Stories,
WHATIFTHEWORLD, Cape
Town

2021 - Witness, curated by Natasha Becker,
Piero Atchugarry Gallery, Miami


2021 - Margins of Error, Curated by Marta Moriarty,
Nirox Sculpture Park, Johannesburg

2020Matereality,
Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town


2019Il est une fois à l’Ouest,
Frac Nouvelle-Aquitaine MÉCA, Bordeaux

2018 – Germination,
RAW Material Company, Dakar




2025 Fellow of the Ampersand Foundation. Residency, NYC

2025 – Residency Award by Fundación Patiño in recognition of artist's presentation at Zona Maco, held at Villa Albina, Bolivia

2024 – African Leadership Initiative - Young Leaders Fellow (5th Class)

2022 – Southern African Foundation for Contemporary Art Residency Award, Abbaye de la Cambre, Brussels

2021 – NIROX Foundation Residency, Nirox Sculpture Park, Johannesburg

2020 – Selected as one of ten contemporary artists to participate in the 5th edition of the Christian Dior Lady Art project

2020 – Recipient of The Claire & Edoardo Villa Will Trust Grant

2019 – SEED Award - Presented by the Southern African Foundation for Contemporary Art (SAFFCA)

2018 – Fellow of the RAW Academié Session 5, directed by Otobong Nkanga. RAW Material Company, Dakar

2018 – PPC Imaginarium Award, Overall winner, and winner of the Sculpture category

2018 – Southern African Foundation for Contemporary Art Residency Award, Knysna



Chris Soal has works in numerous private and public collections, both in South Africa and Internationally. Notable collections include:

The Brooklyn Museum, USA

de Young Museum, The Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco


The MACAAL Museum,
Morocco

MONA - The Museum of Old and New Art,
Tasmania

Fondazione D’Arc,
Rome

The Bunker Artspace (The Beth Rudin DeWoody collection),
West Palm Beach

Galila’s P.O.C.,
Brussels

The Braunsfelder Family Collection,
Cologne

The Perez Collection,
Miami

LAM Museum,
Lisse

The Kelly and Scott Mueller Collection,
USA

The EKARD Collection,
Netherlands, USA

Frédéric de Goldschmidt Collection - Cloud Seven,
Brussels

Arsenal Contemporary | The Majudia Collection,
Montreal; Toronto; New York

The Scheryn Art Collection,
South Africa

Southern African Foundation for Contemporary Art (SAFFCA),
South Africa, France, Belgium

Kavita Chellaram Art collection,
London, Lagos

Martin Nielsen Collection,
Denmark

D+C Family Collection and Art Foundation,
Miami, Bogotá

The Trevor Noah Collection,
South Africa and USA

Francesca Lavazza Collection,
Turin

INFORMATION



BIOGRAPHY



Portrait by Matt Slater. 


Chris Soal (b. 1994) is a South African artist whose critically acclaimed sculpture practice—shaped by a Johannesburg upbringing and now based in Cape Town—has garnered international recognition for its innovative engagement with materiality, perception, and place.

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 perceptual habits while challenging core societal preconceptions of value and hierarchy.

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

Working symbiotically with his materials, Soal utilises the inherent physical characteristics of the objects to transform them through processes of aggregation, combination and erosion to interrogate views of nature and culture as a binary concept – seeking to foreground pressing ecological concerns by repositioning the viewer as an active agent within the contemporary environment. Despite the artificiality of his materials, his process allows them to take on biomorphic qualities or evoke natural phenomena, expressing his interest in their phenomenological qualities.



CONTACT

CHRIS SOAL
︎ Instagram
︎ Email


NEWS

 ‘25 - BROOKLYN MUSEUM 

A piece of Soal’s work was gifted to the Brooklyn Museum, in honour of the Brooklyn Museum's 200th Anniversary. You can find it in the Contemporary Art, Northeast Corner, Overlook Gallery. 


‘25 - MACAAL

Located in Marrakech, Morocco,  MACAAL shows its permanent collection as apart of its Seven Contours, One Collection exhibition, displaying a piece of Soal’s work.


APRIL ‘25 - DALLAS ART FAIR   

Taking place in Dallas from April 10th-13th, 2025, the Dallas Art Fair will explore the theme 'The Importance of Art Amid Social Unrest.' Pierro Atchugarry Gallery will be participating in this important event, showcasing Soal’s work.


APRIL ‘25 - MIART

Milan's premier modern and contemporary art fair, from April 4th - 6th, 2025, at Allianz Mico, continues to be a significant platform for international contemporary artist, Chris Soal.


APRIL ‘25 - SP Arte

Hosted in São Paulo from April 2nd-6th, 2025, the Latin American Art Fair showcases the best of contemporary art. Pierro Atchugarry Gallery is proud to present a curated selection of Soal’s works at this prestigious event.


FEBRUARY ‘25 - THE CAPE TOWN ART FAIR

The 12th edition of the Investec Cape Town Art Fair took place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) from Feb 21th - 23rd. The theme "Celebrating Art, Creativity, and Exploration Through the Power of Play" resonated with Soal's dynamic and thought-provoking pieces.


FEBRUARY ‘25 - ZONA MACO

Chris Soal showcased his work at Mexico City's esteemed Centro Cultural Universitario Tlatelolco from the 5th - 9th. As a result of this exhibition, he was granted a residency in Bolivia, where he will further explore and develop his artistic practice.

PRESS


UNEARTHING LAYERS: CHRIS SOAL’S ‘SURFACE TENSION’
︎ by Misha Krynauw for Artthrob

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