The organic chemistry of Chris Soal’s artistic practice
Allowing his work to develop naturally and going with the flow has served Chris Soal well, with a wide-ranging repertoire and an international audience
Chris Soal emerged unassumingly on the scene a few years ago, but with several collaborations, impressive residencies and weighty solo performances, he has steadily amassed a body of work and a reputation that belie his age.
Best known for his first works — striking installations using discarded objects that marked his arrival on the art stage to acclaim — Soal has metamorphosed over the past few years, expanding in scale and scope. Taking the concept of abstraction and his sensitivity to texture — transforming everyday items such as bottle tops and toothpicks — he’s expanded of late into larger-scale work, all the while challenging the onlooker’s perception and assumptions of value.
“It’s been exciting to see how my practice has taken on a life of its own, often starting in the most unassuming ways and developing far beyond my initial ideas,” he says. “There’s been a consistent inquiry into the unknown that keeps me engaged day in and day out.”
Image: Courtesy of the artist and WHATIFTHEWORLD Gallery. Photographed by Mike Taylor.
Image: Courtesy of the artist and WHATIFTHEWORLD Gallery. Photographed by Mike Taylor.
Image: Courtesy of the artist and WHATIFTHEWORLD Gallery. Photographed by Mike Taylor.
Besides NIROX, locally he’s participating in the Whatiftheworld Gallery’s 40 under 40 in September — a showcase of artists in collaboration with Krone at Twee Jonge Gezellen estate in Tulbagh. His expanding international footprint also sees him exhibiting in Miami and Belgium over the next year. Piero Atchugarry Gallery in Miami has a long history of engaging with artists from the global south and has invited a number of artists from Africa and the Diaspora to be part of a show, opening in September, curated by Natasha Becker.
“I also have a solo booth at Art Brussels 2022 which I’m especially looking forward to, considering the support I’ve received from many collectors and curators from Belgium,” Soal says.
It’s not just galleries who have Soal on their radar. Brands, too, have realised the scope of his conceptual and material strength, and a recent collaboration with Dior — as one of 10 artists and the youngest ever chosen to reimagine the iconic Lady Dior — saw him tackle a new medium. “Opportunities like the Lady Dior collab are incredibly rare for any artist, never mind one as young as me,” he says.