Cristina Salvoldi

I am a sculptor and fabricator, creating structures that range from the intimate to the monumental. Namibian by birth and now based in Cape Town, South Africa, I hold both the hands of a craftswoman and the vision of an artist—and I often wonder if those two are so different.

Drawing on my background in film industry fabrication, I approach each project as a visual story, building from a client’s brief into a tangible work of art. I thrive on the unique challenges every commission brings, finding satisfaction in the problem-solving process as much as in the final creation. My professional portfolio spans miniature sets, nine-metre bronze monuments, dinosaur museum displays, architectural finishes, and everything in between. I deeply value constructive client collaboration and, in recent years, have also enjoyed stepping into project management roles on larger works, where co-creation with like-minded colleagues has been especially rewarding.

My personal sculpting style leans toward realism. I work primarily in plasticine clay, casting my pieces as limited-edition bronzes, exhibited and sold in select galleries. Much of my body of work centres on children—their quirky, humbling honesty resonates with the essence of our own inner child, inviting viewers to reconnect with authenticity and playfulness. More recently, my focus has been shifting toward contemplative, introspective themes, a development I follow with curiosity and openness.

Public Installations

Life-size bronze likeness sculptures produced for ‘The Long March to Freedom’ National Heritage Monument, Century City, Cape Town:

2024
Prof Kader Asmal (collab. With Tania Lee )
2023
Archbishop Desmond Tutu

(collab. With Tania Lee)

2018
Winnie Madikizela Mandela; Martin Luther King

(collab. With Tania Lee)

2016
Govan Mbeki ; Bertha Mkhize
2014
Assisted Tania Lee with Walter and Albertina Sisulu
2013
Ray Alexander Simons

Exhibitions

Bronze artwork for sale ongoing at Walkerbay Modern Art Gallery, Hermanus and Art on Church, Stellenbosch

2021
Group Exhibition ‘Ceramic SA Regionals 2021’, Rust en Vrede Gallery, Durbanville
2019+
Selected bronze editions exhibited, Walkerbay Modern Art Gallery, Hermanus. Semi-finalist in the 2019 PPC Cement Imaginarium competition, exhibited at AVA Gallery, Cape Town
2018+
Selected bronze editions exhibited, Art and Wine, Clarens Selected bronze editions exhibited, Studio Art Gallery, Simonstown
2011+
Selected bronze editions exhibited, Art on Church, Stellenbosch
2018
Group Exhibition ‘Winterlife’, Studio Art Gallery, Simonstown
2012
Group Exhibition ‘Women Artists Namibia’, National Art Gallery of Namibia (NAGN), Pretoria, Windhoek
2009
Group Exhibition ‘Sculptures in Space’, FNCC, Windhoek
2009
‘Human Being-Being Human’, artSPACE Berlin, Berlin
2009
Four (4) month artist residency in Berlin through P.ART.ners- Berlin-Windhoek

Other

2025
Head of construction of the Permian and Triassic Dioramas for Karoo Origins Centre, Graaf Reinet.
2020
Collaboration with Tania Lee on 9m tall Oliver Tambo bronze figure installed at OR Tambo airport on 27 October.
2019
‘Concrete Present’ - 1m high concrete sculpture displayed at Century City.
2017
Designed and sculpted a 7m tall public conceptual bronze artwork along with Tania Lee (awaiting unveiling confirmation).
2015
Assisted Tania Lee with 6 meter tall bronze of Nelson Mandela , Ramallah, Palestine.
2009
Part of a team constructing South African Dinosaur dioramas for Iziko Natural History Museum, Cape Town
2007
Designed and sculpted Karakul Monument commemorating centenary of Karakul Industry, Keetmanshoop, Namibia