Piso Térmico x Virreina
Piso Térmico x Virreina
During her first international residency—Virreina Piso Térmico in Bogotá, Colombia—Ana Sofía developed a sculpture and painting project that explored the theme of faith through the medium of salt. Inspired by the Salt Cathedral located in Zipaquirá, near Bogotá, the artist conducted brief historical research on the site and the symbolism of salt to give both material and conceptual form to her project. She utilized materials ranging from salt blocks for the sculptures to residual saltpeter from salt rocks—diluted in holy water—for the paintings.
Conceptual process
As part of the production process, I gathered all my ideas, mind maps, texts, drawings, and sketches and arranged them on a wall. In doing so, I created a "wall of thought" featuring highlighted phrases from Clarice Lispector, alongside concepts and notes I had taken—such as "minuscule faith," "sadness is also salt," and "when nothingness becomes something."
Alongside these, I included all the passages from the Bible that mention salt. I was particularly drawn to Matthew 5:13 and Mark 9:50, as both pose the question: "What would we do if salt lost its flavor?"—a question I find akin to asking, "What do we do if life loses its meaning?"
Notes on crystallizing salt water
(Maps of sadness)
These are exercises involving dissolving salt in holy water and slowly painting an abstract design with a brush. Crystallization began to occur on the fourth day, but prior to that, it was like painting with water, leaving invisible strokes. Something emerged from nothing. Due to the nature of salt crystallization, the resulting shapes evoked a map. Thus, the idea of "maps of sadness" was born.
2026
Salt dissolved in holy water on canvas
30 x 30 cm
Notes on being dissolved in salt water I
For these three-dimensional exercises, I worked with the premise of "when something becomes almost nothing." This exercise is what led me to the final works. A bowl of holy water is poured over them daily, gradually wearing down the salt until the material reaches a state of near-nonexistence, dissolving into the fabric and onto the floor. I was interested in the process by which the form gradually disappears, becoming something minuscule—unseen yet still present: tiny grains of salt clinging to the fabric and dissolved into the surface.
2026
Zipaquirá salt stones, wood, canvas, holy water
30 x 30 x 35 cm
50 x 30 x 35 cm
Notes on being dissolved in salt water II
These exercises took the form of two works composed of a steel structure, translucent fabric, and salt stones from the Zipaquirá mines. The concept behind these pieces is to function as a timepiece—akin to an hourglass—though in this case, the granular element (salt) gradually disappears. Each day, a bowl of holy water is poured over them, eroding the salt until the material is all but gone, having dissolved into the fabric and onto the floor.
2026
Zipaquirá salt stones, steel, fabric, holy water
100 x 40 x 35 cm
70 x 35 x 30 cm