Sofía Salazar Rosales
sofia.salazar.rosales@gmail.com
info.salazar.rosales@gmail.com
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info.salazar.rosales@gmail.com
Sofía Salazar Rosales (born in Quito, Ecuador, in 1999 to Cuban-Ecuadorian parents) lives and works between Paris, France, and Quito, Ecuador. She completed the prestigious two-year residency program at De Ateliers in Amsterdam in 2025, following a Master’s degree with distinction from the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris (ENSBA), where she studied under Tatiana Trouvé, Petrit Halilaj, and Álvaro Urbano. She also holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with distinction from the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Lyon.
In 2026, she was awarded the Emerige–CPGA Prize with ChertLüdde at ARCOmadrid, presented by Emerige and the Comité Professionnel des Galeries d’Art (CPGA). In 2025, she was nominated as a medalist in the emerging category for the inaugural Art Basel Awards. In 2023, she was nominated for the Premio illy SustainArt Prize and the Emerige–CPGA Prize, and in 2022, she won the SARR Prize.
In 2026, she was awarded the Emerige–CPGA Prize with ChertLüdde at ARCOmadrid, presented by Emerige and the Comité Professionnel des Galeries d’Art (CPGA). In 2025, she was nominated as a medalist in the emerging category for the inaugural Art Basel Awards. In 2023, she was nominated for the Premio illy SustainArt Prize and the Emerige–CPGA Prize, and in 2022, she won the SARR Prize.
Salazar Rosales’s practice stems from a sentence she once wrote: “Hay cuerpos cansados por el viaje que buscan enraizarse” (“There are bodies tired from the journey that seek to root”). Her work explores the ways in which objects reveal the social, political, and economic conditions that shape the movement of people, goods, and materials across territories.
She conceives her works as spaces of reconciliation, negotiating between objects, materials, and the histories they carry through different contexts. Reconciliation also operates as a constructive gesture within her practice, which continuously transforms found and familiar forms while remaining attentive to their emotional resonance. Salazar Rosales maintains an affectionate relationship with her sculptures, understanding them not only as contextual entities but also as sentimental ones. As she notes, “We are contextual, but also sentimental.”
Extract from a letter she wrote to the visitors of the solo exhibition There are bodies tired from the journey seeking to root, presented at ChertLüdde, Berlin (2022): “[My sculptures and I] want to propose a site where materials brace their contextual baggage. Where sculptures exude tares and expression, where despite their semblance of everyday objects, we are unable to escape their
anthropomorphism, their body. A body that mirrors fragmented identities. An assemblage of re!ections derived across the local and global; oblivion and memory; history as it remains palpable and !ourishes in language, in the intangible of feeling.
Sentire in Latin, means etymologically “to take direction oriented by the senses.” These shapes begin in such a fragile knot, which sustains a broader fabric o forking threads, weaving together contexts.
Know that language has also directed us. Surprisingly, the word “context” is composed of the pre*x “con” (meaning completely/globally) and “textus” (fabric, a set of words composing a written or oral passage). Speaking about contexts
is a way of weaving.
Transitory inhabitants, walk with the knowledge that among our forms are artisanal and industrial meanderings, traces of transatlantic journeys and abysses from uprooting. It is necessary to arrive on your tiptoes, to perceive th ritual, the political, the violence and affection in each gesture of construction. It is necessary to arrive on your tiptoes to breathe the tare and tear of certain products and shrouds of neocolonial circuits. It is necessary to arrive on your tiptoes and bare.”
She conceives her works as spaces of reconciliation, negotiating between objects, materials, and the histories they carry through different contexts. Reconciliation also operates as a constructive gesture within her practice, which continuously transforms found and familiar forms while remaining attentive to their emotional resonance. Salazar Rosales maintains an affectionate relationship with her sculptures, understanding them not only as contextual entities but also as sentimental ones. As she notes, “We are contextual, but also sentimental.”
Extract from a letter she wrote to the visitors of the solo exhibition There are bodies tired from the journey seeking to root, presented at ChertLüdde, Berlin (2022): “[My sculptures and I] want to propose a site where materials brace their contextual baggage. Where sculptures exude tares and expression, where despite their semblance of everyday objects, we are unable to escape their
anthropomorphism, their body. A body that mirrors fragmented identities. An assemblage of re!ections derived across the local and global; oblivion and memory; history as it remains palpable and !ourishes in language, in the intangible of feeling.
Sentire in Latin, means etymologically “to take direction oriented by the senses.” These shapes begin in such a fragile knot, which sustains a broader fabric o forking threads, weaving together contexts.
Know that language has also directed us. Surprisingly, the word “context” is composed of the pre*x “con” (meaning completely/globally) and “textus” (fabric, a set of words composing a written or oral passage). Speaking about contexts
is a way of weaving.
Transitory inhabitants, walk with the knowledge that among our forms are artisanal and industrial meanderings, traces of transatlantic journeys and abysses from uprooting. It is necessary to arrive on your tiptoes, to perceive th ritual, the political, the violence and affection in each gesture of construction. It is necessary to arrive on your tiptoes to breathe the tare and tear of certain products and shrouds of neocolonial circuits. It is necessary to arrive on your tiptoes and bare.”
Education
2023 - Master of Fine Arts with congratulations of the jury School of Fine Arts of Paris (ENSBA Paris)
Student at the atelier of artist Tatiana Trouvé and also at the atelier of artists Alvaro Urbano and Petrit Halilaj.
2022 - Bachelor of Fine Arts with congratulations of the jury School of Fine Arts of Lyon (ENSBA Lyon)
2018 - Preparatory Classes
School of Fine Arts of Lyon (ENSBA Lyon)
Awards
2026 - Winner with ChertLüdde gallery of the Emerige–CPGA 2026 Prize at ARCOmadrid. Awarded by Emerige and the Comité Professionnel des Galeries d’Art.
“We chose Sofía Salazar Rosales for the solidity and maturity of her practice, particularly remarkable given the youth of her career. Her work articulates local heritage, memory, myths and traditions, while transforming everyday objects into poetic and symbolic forms. This approach, both grounded and open, particularly impressed us. We were sensitive to the relationship between the artist and the ChertLüdde gallery that accompanies her, supporting a very young artist while allowing her real freedom of expression.”
2026 - Matteo Visconti di Modrone Prize – Special Mention, Milan
2025 - Nominated as Medalist in the Emerging Artists category at the Art Basel Award Medal 2025
Nominated “ For shaping the future of art by translating cultural memory into sculptural form, addressing histories of violence, migration, and resistance. Her practice merges personal heritage with collective narratives, creating tactile expressions of critical thought and historical reflection”.
2023 - Shortlisted for the Premio illy Sustain Art Prize, Madrid
2023 - Shortlisted for the Emerige-CPGA Prize, Madrid
2022 - Winner of the Sarr Prize 2022
School of Fine Arts of Paris (ENSBA Paris)
The SARR Prize funded by the SARR Collection presents three Awards annually to current the Beaux-Arts Paris students for excellence in a body of artistic work. Award part of the exhibition Crush curated by Cristiano Raimondi, Alexia Fabre and Audrey Illouz.
Residencies
01/2024 - 08/2025 - De Ateliers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
De Ateliers is an international institute for talent development of young visual artists, founded in 1963 by artists, for artists. De Ateliers offers some twenty young and beginning artists a studio for two years in a professional working environment, and the intense mentorship of prominent colleagues.
09/2025 - 12/2025 - Atelier des savoirs partagés - Tropical lab with the support of Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation
This first edition takig place between September and Decembre 2025, will bring together ten emerging artists from diasporic backgrounds in France for a cycle of workshops mentorships and
conversations with renowed curators, artists, and cultural practitioners from around the world.
Panel discussions
21/09/2024 - Dynamiques de résilience productive dans l'interstice Amérique Latine - France.
Sofía Salazar Rosales (artist), Dayneris Brito (curator, Fondation Brownstone, Paris) and Alberto Ríos (PAC Residency, Mexique). Roundtable as part of the first edition of MIRA, the Latin American art air at the Maison de l’Amérique Latine, Paris (France).
18/11/2022 - Manglares Session, Persona Curada in collaboration with AWARE
Villa Vassilieff, Paris (France)
Round table discussion around Feminisms & Afro-feminisms in Latin America & the Caribbean, in relation to the invited artists’ practices and personal research. Guest artists: Valérie John, Louisa Marajo, Madeline Jiménez Santil and myself. Round table moderated by: Chris Cyrille and Noelia Portela.
23/10/2022 - Circulations, AKAA Fair
Also Known As Africa Art & design fair, Carreau du Temple, Paris (France) . A panel discussion moderated by Eva Barois De Caevel with the artist Barbara Asei Dantoni and myself during AKAA.
Exhibitions
Solo exhibitions:
2026 — Travesías de una lágrima, Centro de Creación Contemporánea de Andalucía (C3A), Córdoba, Spain
2025 — L’insularité prend tout son sens..., Bremond Capela Gallery, Paris, France.
2025 — ¿Cómo vais a olvidar lo que las nubes aún pueden recordar?, De Ateliers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
2025 — Imagínate vivir en Suiza y perderte esto, Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
2024 — Simulacros de cimiento, EL Chico gallery, Madrid, Spain.
2024 — The desire to dance with someone who is not here, ChertLüdde, Berlin, Germany.
2024 — Yo no sé si tenga amor la eternidad pero allá, tal como aquí en la boca llevarás sabor a mí, Alice Amati, London, United Kingdom.
2023 — Tal vez la urgencia del arribo extienda mi lenguaje, ENSBA Paris, France.
2022 — Holding the urge to reconcile, Juniin Gallery, Guayaquil, Ecuador.
2022 — There are bodies tired from the journey seeking to root, ChertLüdde Bungalow, Berlin, Germany.
Group Exhibitions & Biennials
2024–25 — 17th Lyon Biennale, Les voix des fleuves Crossing the water, Lyon, France.
2025–2027 — The Art of Collecting: Expanding the Moderna Museet Collection, Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden.
2026 — Mémoires voyageuses, Kunsthaus Baselland, Basel, Switzerland,
2026 –ongoing — Hear/here, The Loft – Servais Family Collection, Brussels, Belgium.
2025 — Hallen 06, Wilhelm Hallen, Berlin, Germany.
2025 — Apocalypstick, Centrale Marthal / NAP+, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
2025 — Solo Sculpture Trail, Solo Houses / Venta d’Aubert, Matarraña, Spain.
2025 — 100% L’EXPO Madrid, Institut Français, Madrid, Spain.
2025 — Showcase of Ecuadorian Contemporary Art in Dialogue with the Collection of the Museum of Anthropology and Contemporary Art of Guayaquil, Casa Ecuador, Madrid, Spain.
2025 — Un suolo senza tempo, Open Project, Bologna, Italy.
2025 — Nobody is a Stranger, No Name, Paris, France.
2024 — Radicar, radicar, Poush, Aubervilliers, France.
2024 — 100% L’EXPO, Grande Halle de la Villette, Paris, France.
2024 — Le vol du Quetzal, Le 6B, Saint-Denis, France.
2024 — Des lignes de désir, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Paris, France.
2023 — Shaping, Poush, Aubervilliers, France.
2023 — Ring Ring Ring, Pal Project, Paris, France.
2023 — Young Talents: Polymathic Nature. Step 2., Canepaneri Gallery, Milan, Italy.
2023 — Sur le feu, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Paris, France.
2023 — Autour de ta peau je noue et dénoue la mienne (with Ángela Jiménez Durán), Julio Artist-Run Space, Paris, France.
2023 — Crush, École des Beaux-Arts de Paris, Paris, France.
2022 — Pays rêvé, pays revers, Cité internationale des arts, Paris, France.
2022 — Shifting Balance: A Dialogue with the MMAT Collection, London, United Kingdom.
2022 — Traces Vagabondes, IESA, Paris, France.
2022 — Crush, École des Beaux-Arts de Paris, Paris, France.
2022 — Piel de serpiente, Shmorevaz, Paris, France.
2022 — Punto de destello, Ponce + Robles, Madrid, Spain.
Selection of publications
Download the press selection here: https://chertluedde.com/artist/sofia-salazar-rosales/#1687360783146-efb3631d-746c
2026
- “Travesías de una lágrima ~ Sofía Salazar Rosales.” Relieve Contemporáneo, 2026. Online.
2025
- Kherbek, William. “Field of Experimentation: A Conversation with Sofía Salazar Rosales.” Sculpture Magazine, 29 April. Online.
- Bem, Merel. “De zintuiglijke installatie van Sofía Salazar Rosales staat als een huis en is tegelijkertijd vergankelijk als een wolk.” de Volkskrant, 2025. Online.
- “Ella esculpe sus raíces y las convierte en arte.” Harper’s Bazaar Ecuador, 2 December. Online.
2024
- Muñoz, Elena. “Sofía Salazar, la artista ecuatoriana que aborda el concepto del viaje en su versión menos lúdica.” El País (S Moda), 27 September. Online.
- 17e Biennale de Lyon Art Contemporain. Catalogue published on the occasion of the exhibition Les voix des fleuves, Crossing the Water, 17th Lyon Biennale, Lyon, France.
- Afzali, Noushin. “Sofía Salazar Rosales: A Poetic Journey Through the Material.” Contemporary And, 21 August. Online.
- Kherbek, William. “The Absence of Touch: An Interview with Sofía Salazar Rosales.” Berlin Art Link, 9 July. Online.
- Cunningham, Lucy Rose. “Sofía Salazar Rosales: Healing Through a Study of Material Culture.” L’Essenziale Studio. Print.
- Anand, Keshav. “Sofía Salazar Rosales: ‘My Anthropomorphic Sculptures Keep in Their Mouths the Flavour of Their Origins.’” Something Curated, 22 May. Online.
- Thomas, Chris Erik. “5 Must-See Shows at Gallery Weekend Berlin 2024.” ARTnews, April. Online.
- Pathania, Avantika. “Sofía Salazar Rosales at Alice Amati: ‘yo no sé si tenga amor la eternidad, pero allá, tal como aquí, en la boca llevarás, sabor a mí.’” Fetch, April. Online.
- Szwarc, Eva. “Gallery Weekend 2024: The Schöneberg Walkabout.” Berlin Art Link, April. Online.
- Appearance in Beaux Arts Magazine, March 2024. Print.
- Des lignes de désir: Félicités 2023. Beaux-Arts de Paris, Paris, France. Print.
- 100% L’EXPO 2024. Exhibition catalogue, Grande Halle de la Villette, Paris, France. Print.
- Finale 2023: Diplômés 2023. Beaux-Arts de Paris, Paris, France. Print.
- Appearance in Artaïs, Issue 33, 2024. Print.
- Mention in Le Monde, 22 September 2024. Online.
2023
- Brito, Dayneris. “Una conversación con Sofía Salazar Rosales: gestos de construcción verbalizados en arte.” Rialta Magazine, 15 November. Online.
2022
-Paredes, Juan Felipe. “Sofía Salazar Rosales: Mantengo la Urgencia de Reconciliar.” Artishock, 22 October. Online.
-“Sofía Salazar Rosales at Bungalow.” Art Viewer, 8 June. Online.
- Paenhuysen, An. “How to Blossom in Berlin: ChertLüdde Opens Its Doors in Schöneberg.” Berlin Art Link, 24 May. Online.
- Meinecke, Anna. “Gallery Weekend Berlin 2022: 14 Ausstellungen, die ihr nicht verpassen solltet.” Gallery Talk, 27 April. Online.
- Pofalla, Boris. “Gallery Weekend: Berlin Spring.” Monopol, 26 April. Online.
- Also Known As Africa: Alterner. Edited by Eva Barois De Caevel. Issue 8. Bureau Contemporary Art Events, Paris.
- Salazar Rosales, Sofía. “Hay cuerpos cansados por el viaje que buscan enraizarse (There Are Bodies Tired from the Journey Seeking to Root).” Edited by Nina Hanz. Translation by Mayra A. Rodríguez Castro. Published by ChertLüdde, Berlin.
2021
Art Fairs (with ChertLüdde gallery)
2026
Art Basel, Switzerland
MIART, Milan, Italy
ARCO Madrid, Spain
Artissima,Turin, Italy
2025
Frieze London, UK
Art Basel, Basel, Switzerland
ARCO Madrid, Spain
2025
Artissima, Italy
Paris Internationale, France
Art Basel, Switzerland
2024
ARCO Madrid, Spain