Otherworldly aggregations
- Chris creates immersive installations that prompt double takes
- His work challenges viewers' assumptions about what is valuable
- He mentors young artists through hands-on studio work
Chris Soal takes discarded objects and pushes their physical limits to produce tactile illusions that shift with the viewer’s perspective. He first adopted this medium at Wits University, when he fixed a technical problem by mounting a cement bust on rebar steel rods. “I take things that go unnoticed and try to reimagine them as objects of consideration,” Chris explains. He uses sandpaper and beer caps to construct sci-fi forms. He aggregates toothpicks into organic textures that sometimes resemble corals, drawing inspiration from his upbringing on the Eastern Cape coast. Chris rejects mechanical efficiency for a labour-intensive studio process. "The value lies in the making," he says. "Sometimes, it is worth taking the long road just because it is scenic."
Interview
- How does your environment impact your work?
- Growing up in Johannesburg, I learned to observe. Realising 80% of local beer bottle caps are gold-coloured to signal allure was a revelation. This prompted me to think about our mining legacy and politics. In the City of Gold, why are these discarded objects the only gold we see on the street?
- What is the hardest part of your practice?
- What I struggle with most is my own uncertainty. I have had to relinquish control and fear on the finished piece. I need to surrender to a process that is very undetermined. Putting oneself out there as an artist can be very nerve-racking.
- What part of your work surprises people the most?
- It is the moment the illusion breaks. People are drawn in by something that appears soft, warm, organic and inviting. The organic look might remind them of animal skins or fungi. Upon closer inspection, they are surprised to know they are looking at toothpicks.
- Has sculpting taught you any life lessons?
- I have had to overcome my own bias toward the materials that I work with. Bottle caps are regarded as nothing special in our world. Sandpaper is something used for its utility and thrown away, never given a second thought. My work has taught me to pay attention. It has taught me to reconsider and be vulnerable with 'insignificant' mediums.
Chris Soal is a master artisan: he began his career in 2015 and he started teaching in 2016
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Chris Soal
