CHRIS SOAL AS BELOW SO ABOVE - Artoday
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CHRIS SOAL AS BELOW SO ABOVE
AS BELOW SO ABOVE
CHRIS SOAL
WHATIFTHEWORLD is pleased to announce Chris Soal’s solo exhibition, As below so above.
In this body of work, the viewer’s experience is considered in relation to the monumental scale of these works. Their
immersive scale prompts a phenomenological connection between conceptual engagement and bodily interaction.
Soal connects, both visually and thematically, the intestinal or cerebral twists of the bottle top works with the exhibition’s
title, which is an inversion of the saying, ‘As above, so below’. Soal considers smaller systems such as the human
body in relation to the larger universe — both physical and spiritual — and how these ‘worlds’ are interconnected.
The self being a microcosm of the community, and a toothpick being a humble unit that, when collectivised, forms
the whole artwork. It also reflects his intuitive working process, which stems from somewhere in-between the gut and
the brain.
As below so above will be opening in conjunction with his solo exhibition at the Nirox Sculpture Park in the Cradle of
Humankind. The exhibition touches on themes of ruins, decay, erosion, the relic and effigy
INSTALLATION VIEW
AS BELOW SO ABOVE
CHRIS SOAL
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
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. His
solo exhibition, Field of Vision, was held at WHATIFTHEWORLD in 2019. He has also 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). Recent projects include Soal’s collaboration with Dior on the fifth edition of
the Lady Dior Art Bag. Chris Soal’s work has been included in many notable private and public collections, both locally
and internationally, include: The Beth Rudin DeWoody collection, (The Bunker Artspace), USA; The Braunsfelder
Family Collection, Germany; Galila’s P.O.C. - The collection of Galila Barzilaï-Hollander, Belgium; The Sylt Foundation
Collection, Germany; Southern African Foundation for Contemporary Art (SAFFCA), South Africa and France; Modern
Art Projects, South Africa; First Rand Bank, Corporate collection, South Africa; The Department of Arts and Culture,
South Africa; The Rupert Family Collection, South Africa; Barloworld Corporate Collection, South Africa; The Ackerman
-Berman Collection, South Africa; Tisot Art Collection Trust, Italy.
AS BELOW SO ABOVE CHRIS SOAL AS BELOW SO ABOVE, 2021 DISCARDED BEER BOTTLE TOPS THREADED ONTO WOVEN STEEL ROPE HELD IN POLYURETHANE SEALANT ON BOARD INSTALLATION SIZE: 370 X 260 X 240 CM WALL SIZE: 240 X 190 X 15 CM 20 000 EURO
AS BELOW SO ABOVE CHRIS SOAL LOST IN PLACE, 2020 DISCARDED BEER BOTTLE TOPS THREADED ONTO WOVEN STEEL ROPE HELD IN POLYURETHANE SEALANT ON BOARD 6 X 178 CM IN DIAMETER 13 000 EURO SOLD
INSTALLATION VIEW
AS BELOW SO ABOVE CHRIS SOAL MOTHER, 2021 BAMBOO AND BIRCH WOOD TOOTHPICKS, HELD IN POLYURETHANE SEALANT ON RIPSTOP FABRIC AND BOARD 400 X 270 X 35 CM 25 000 EURO
INSTALLATION VIEW
AS BELOW SO ABOVE CHRIS SOAL PHOENIX, 2020 BAMBOO AND BIRCH WOOD TOOTHPICKS, BURNT AND UNBURNT, HELD IN POLYURETHANE SEALANT ON RIPSTOP FABRIC AND BOARD 125 X 90 X 18 CM 8 000 EURO SOLD
INSTALLATION VIEW
AS BELOW SO ABOVE CHRIS SOAL AXIS MUNDI, 2021 BIRCH WOOD, CONCRETE, STEEL 170 X 100 X 110 CM 12 000 EURO
AS BELOW SO ABOVE CHRIS SOAL ALL THAT WE CAN’T LEAVE BEHIND, 2021 GLASS FIBRE REINFORCED CONCRETE RELIEF CAST, STEEL INSTALLATION DIMENSIONS VARIABLE 10 POLES IN INSTALLATION, EACH 215 X 20 CM IN DIAMETER 16 000 EURO
INSTALLATION VIEW
AS BELOW SO ABOVE CHRIS SOAL VICISSITUDE, 2020 BAMBOO AND BIRCH WOOD TOOTHPICKS, HELD IN POLYURETHANE SEALANT ON RIPSTOP FABRIC AND BOARD 103 X 168 X 20 CM 10 500 EURO SOLD
AS BELOW SO ABOVE CHRIS SOAL SPOLIA, 2020 DISCARDED BEER BOTTLE TOPS THREADED ONTO WOVEN STEEL ROPE HELD IN POLYURETHANE SEALANT ON BOARD 150 X 73 X 15 CM 8 000 EURO SOLD
AS BELOW SO ABOVE CHRIS SOAL AS BELOW SO ABOVE, 2020 DISCARDED BEER BOTTLE TOPS THREADED ONTO WOVEN STEEL ROPE HELD IN POLYURETHANE SEALANT ON BOARD 110 X 240 X 60 CM 10 500 EURO SOLD
AS BELOW SO ABOVE CHRIS SOAL NOWHERE TO GO BUT EVERYWHERE, 2021 DISCARDED BEER BOTTLE TOPS THREADED ONTO WOVEN STEEL ROPE HELD IN POLYURETHANE SEALANT ON BOARD 8 X 134 CM IN DIAMETER 9 500 EURO
INSTALLATION VIEW
AS BELOW SO ABOVE CHRIS SOAL WITHIN AND WITHOUT, 2020 DISCARDED BEER BOTTLE TOPS THREADED ONTO WOVEN STEEL ROPE HELD IN POLYURETHANE SEALANT ON BOARD 6 X 136 CM IN DIAMETER 8 500 EURO
INSTALLATION VIEW
ADDITIONAL WORKS
AS BELOW SO ABOVE CHRIS SOAL THE ENDLESS SEEKER, 2020 BAMBOO TOOTHPICKS, HELD IN POLYURETHANE SEALANT ON RIPSTOP FABRIC AND BOARD 180 X 190 X 30 CM 12 000 EURO
AS BELOW SO ABOVE CHRIS SOAL I DON’T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE. YOU’LL HAVE TO COME AND FIND ME., 2020 BAMBOO TOOTHPICKS, HELD IN POLYURETHANE SEALANT ON RIPSTOP FABRIC AND BOARD 75 X 136 X 10 CM 5 500 EURO RESERVED
AS BELOW SO ABOVE CHRIS SOAL THE ESCAPE, 2020 FOUND BEER BOTTLE CAPS THREADED ONTO WOVEN STEEL ROPE SECURED IN POLYURETHANE SEALANT ON BOARD 100 CM IN DIAMETER 7 500 EURO
1ST FLOOR, 16 BUITEN STREET CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA, 8000 T +27 (0) 21 422 1066 LINDSEY@WHATIF THEWOARLD.COM W W W.WHATIF THEWORLD.COM
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