PAGECAST: To Sharpen our Senses and Soften our Touch by Chris Soal (with Jo-Ann Strauss)

Loading player...
This episode of Pagecast is brought to you in collaboration with the ARTdacity podcast, ahead of the Investec Art Fair. This week, Jo-Ann Strauss interviews Chris Soal about his book, To Sharpen our Senses and Soften our Touch.

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 social abstractions influenced by a reinterpreted Arte Povera that is deeply rooted in and reflective of his upbringing 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.

You can find ARTdacity here:

https://www.artdacity.co.za/

#Pagecast #capetownartist #artbookrecommendations
16 Feb English South Africa Books · Society & Culture

Other recent episodes

The Ego Trip by Kimon de Greef (with Dan Corder)

"There's patent litigation right now over the God molecule. I just think it's the most absurd thing." What happens when an ethereal, ego-dissolving experience runs headlong into big pharma? Dan Corder chats to journalist Kimon de Greef on The Ego Trip, and the strange final act of the toad story:…
11 Aug 30 min

Zama Zama by Graeme Coetzer (with Chris Gibbons)

"It looked apocalyptic." Veteran journalist Chris Gibbons sits down with journalist, TV producer and best-selling author Graeme Coetzer for a gripping conversation on Zama Zama: Inside the Illicit Mining Underworld. Together they unpack fifteen years of investigation into South Africa's illegal gold economy: from the desperate miners going underground to…
3 Aug 27 min

Six Days in Bombay by Alka Joshi (with Joanne Joseph)

"I love this phrase you've used - explain ourselves to ourselves." Joanne Joseph sits down with best-selling author Alka Joshi for a rich, expansive conversation on Six Days in Bombay. Together they unpack why Alka only came to novel writing later in life, the mother whose real story became the…
27 Jul 25 min

The Persian by David McCloskey (with Lester Kiewit)

What happens when a former CIA analyst turns his hand to fiction? Lester Kiewit chats to David McCloskey about The Persian, a sophisticated, atmospheric thriller that pulls readers deep into the shadow war between Iran and Israel, and the human cost of living a double life. David McCloskey's new book…
20 Jul 33 min

A Food Love Story by Onezwa Mbola (with Star Senamile Shongwe)

In this episode of Pagecast, food enthusiast, recipe creator, and social media sensation Onezwa Mbola joins storyteller and marketing professional Star Senamile Shongwe for a warm conversation about her debut book, A Food Love Story. Onezwa traces her culinary journey from her mother's kitchen in a rural Eastern Cape seaside…
13 Jul 28 min