Chris Soal: Monumentality in Everyday Materials
Chris Soal, a South African artist hailing from Johannesburg and now residing in Cape Town, creates sculptures from often disregarded items such as bottle caps, toothpicks, and concrete, reflecting geological structures and cellular development. In a conversation with Whitewall, he shares insights into how his roots in Johannesburg and the coastal environment of Cape Town shape his selection of materials. He emphasizes the paradoxes within South Africa and the motifs of erosion and water in Cape Town. Soal's artistic process involves recognizing materials beyond their intended uses and prioritizes collaboration in his Woodstock studio. He is currently working on sandpaper pieces and new creations using hollowed tree trunks and concrete casts. After showcasing his work at Art Brussels, he will unveil new pieces at Frieze Seoul, alongside a significant institutional commission set to launch at the end of the year.
Key facts
- Chris Soal is a South African artist born in Johannesburg and based in Cape Town.
- He uses materials like bottle caps, toothpicks, electric fencing cable, concrete, sandpaper, and rebar.
- His work references geological formations, coral systems, skin, sediment, and cellular growth.
- Soal's practice is influenced by Johannesburg's extraction and density, and Cape Town's coastline and geology.
- He often begins with noticing materials that exceed their function.
- His studio is in Woodstock, Cape Town, with views of the harbor and Table Mountain.
- He is developing sandpaper works and new pieces with tree trunks and toothpicks.
- He showed new works at Art Brussels this year.
- He will present new works at Frieze Seoul with WHATIFTHEWORLD and Apalazzo Gallery.
- He is working on his first large-scale institutional commission opening at the end of the year.
Entities
Artists
- Chris Soal
Institutions
- Whitewall
- WHATIFTHEWORLD
- Apalazzo Gallery
- Art Brussels
- Frieze Seoul
Locations
- Johannesburg
- South Africa
- Cape Town
- Woodstock
- Table Mountain