Margherita Soldati is an Amsterdam-based artist, educator, and co-founder of Absurd Beings and Burning Steps, whose multidisciplinary practice spans performance, storytelling, writing, and the creation of sculptures and installations. Her work explores materials like textiles, glass and aluminum, shaping them into organic, textured forms to evoke tactile curiosity and encourage interaction. By manipulating materials to trigger sensory responses, her projects explore narratives tied to the material’s context and meaning. Developed through residencies and collaborations with science and communities, her practice prioritises immersive and participatory experiences.  Her work frequently engages with themes of diagnosis, immunity, sensorial memories and food allergies. 

Teaching and mentoring are integral to her approach, fostering exchange through workshops or longer-term mentoring programs for students, international artists, and aspiring art school applicants. These sessions focus on hands-on, material-based experimentation with open-ended results, encouraging exploration and deepening personal interests.

Graduated from Gerrit Rietveld Academie in 2018, she has worked as an educator with institutions like the Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Textile Museum Tilburg, Ateliers’89 Aruba, and ArtEZ Zwolle, as well as art mentoring in European initiatives with Waag Futurelab since 2020.
Supported by Mondriaan Fonds, Stimuleringsfonds, Amsterdam Fonds voor de Kunst, and others, she was awarded the Talent Development Grant and 3Package Deal in 2022. Her work has been showcased internationally in galleries, museums, and festivals across Aruba, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Italy, Hungary, Germany, the USA and the Netherlands.

Exhibitions

2025
Politics of Perceiving, curated by PPP sunflower soup at W139, Amsterdam
10 Kg of Strawberries, performance & dining experience at Villa Medici, Roma
Itch, performance at Index of Error exhibition at Paradise, West, Den Haag
Agenda Mania, with Burning Steps, at de Bouwput, Amsterdam
2024
Good Gut!, at Deveron Projects art residency, Huntly Scotland
Evolving Sensitivities, at Waag Futurelab for Werkconferentie: Kunst x Wetenschap x Samenleving
Evolving Sensitivities, video work for the RietvledTV, De Nieuwe Anita, Amsterdam
2023
Alchemy of Resilience at Portiersloge, Dutch Design Week, Eindhoven
Evolving Sensitivities at Felix Meritis, Amsterdam (AFK) curated by Bogomir Doringer
MushMap at Ars Electronica / More than Planet, Linz
Burnout* Manifestations at EM Studio Gallery, Amsterdam
Burnout* Manifestations at W139, Amsterdam
Evolving Sensitivities at Waag for Glue, Amsterdam
Strands of Resilience at Bureau Postjesweg, Amsterdam
Looking Fingers at Kunsthalle Lottozero, Prato
2022
The Body Keeps the Score at KunstenLab, Deventer
Repairing Memories at Ateliers ‘ 89 Punto di Beyas Arte, Aruba
2021
Invisible Traces for You Keep Me under no Smell at Venice Art Projects with Curatela Placebo, Venice
Invisible Traces (publication format) at Rea Arte Fair with Curatela Placebo, Milan
Returning in collaboration with Cooloo for Masterly – the Dutch in Milan at Palazzo Francesco Turati during Salone del Mobile, Milan
In the Maak / Bijenkorf & Room on the Roof representing TextileLab Amsterdam at several location in the Nederland
2020
Fantastic Plastic at New Tretyakov Gallery of  Moscow Design Museum
Skin Hunger Neo Futurist Breakfast at Mediamatic, Amsterdam
2019
Growing Surface for Dead Darling #12 in collaboration with Current Obsession, Amsterdam
Uncomfortable (sample) at Fisher Fine Arts Library Material Collection University of Pennsylvania
The Beauty Dinner Neo Futurist Dinner at Mediamatic, Amsterdam
ENDLESS LIFE at Doornburgh, Maarssen
Parksessies Kunst at Haarlemmerhout, Haarlem
Feeling MySelf at Bankitò organized by Buro Imaginaire, Hungary 
Rethinking Plastic at Yksi Expo organized by Searious Business and Dutch Design Foundation, Eindhoven
VERS Kunstweekend at BergardeGaleries, Heerjansdam
Absurd Beings on Skin at KunstKapel, Amsterdam
‘What a Waste’ at Ateliers’ 89 in Oranjestad, Aruba
‘Naakt of Bloot’ at Museum Jan Cunen, Oss
Object Rotterdam at Art Rotterdam, Rotterdam
2018
Museum Nacht Amsterdam Blind at Mediamatic, Amsterdam
Het Parfum at Mediamatic Gallery with Scents Apparatus, Amsterdam
Graduation Show Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam
ButzeBad at Schau Fenster Gallery, Berlin
2017
Fashion Clash, Textile Lab of Waag Society, Maastricht
UnCut “What is happening to our Brain?” at Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
Absurd Being Independent Exhibition at CC ‘t Fijnhout, Amsterdam
2016
Odorama at Mediamatic Gallery, Amsterdam
What Design Can Do 2016 with the Public Prosecution Office, Amsterdam
Forces for Architecture at Benthem Crouwel Architects/Jólan van der Wiel
2015
NPSA International Neuropsychoanalysis Congress 2015, Amsterdam
LockBox of Bookstore Foundation, Amsterdam
2014
NPSA Internationa Neuropsychoanalysis Congress 2014, New York
2013
SUN.LAB 2013 at Fiera Rimini, Rimini 

Commissions

2024
Evolving Sensitivities, video work for RietveldTV in collaboration with Beeld en Geluid
2019
Death Beauty Salon at Mediamatic for Museum Night, Amsterdam
ENDLESS LIFE at Doornburgh, Maarssen

Workshops & Lectures

2024
We are many: rethinking resources and collaborations, Winter Lab ArtEZ curated by Loom, Zwolle
2023
Time-bound: Embracing Material Transience, Summer Lab ArtEZ curated by Loom, Zwolle
Material Experimentation, lecture at the HvA Bachelors, Amsterdam
2022
Repairing Memories, Ateliers ’89 Punto di Beyas Arte, Aruba
Re-use Textile waste (2), Masterclass at TextielMuseum, Tilburg
2021
What Makes a Collective, lecture Jewelry Department Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam
Re-use Textile waste, Masterclass at TextielMuseum, Tilburg
Tangible Memories, online workshop hosted by Unbore Collective
2020
Sculpting Textile, workshop at Mediamatic, Amsterdam
2019
Plastic Waste workshop at Makersbase Nieuwe Veste, Breda
Nederland Leest Maker Meetup on sustainability artist talk at Makersbase, Breda
Sculpting Textile, workshop at Mediamatic, Amsterdam
MuseumCamp 2019 at Muiderslot (Muiden) organized by Allard Pierson, Waag & NEMO
BarTalk#16 Sensory Ecologies, Den Haag
‘What did you touch today?’ at Mediamatic, Amsterdam
PILLS with Davide Tomatis at Instituto d’Arte Applicata e Design, Turin
Fabric Manipulation Workshop at DIY Textile School, Amsterdam
‘What a Waste’ Workshop at Ateliers’ 89, Oranjestad Aruba
2018
Fabric Manipulation Workshop at DIY Textile School, Amsterdam
2017
(Ir)Relevant Matter Bio talk at Mediamatic Gallery, Amsterdam
2016
Odorama Talk at Mediamatic Gallery, Amsterdam
Hacking Source at Source Self Made Design, Florence

Awards/Nomination/Funds

2025
Project grant from Amsterdam Funds voor de Kunst
Experiment grant from Stimulerings Fonds
2024
Artist in Residency Grant at Deveron Projects from Mondriaan Fonds
2023
3Package Deal Art Bio Design coalition from Amsterdam Funds voor de Kunst
2022
Building Talent program from Stimulerings Fonds
Talent Development from Stimulerings Fonds

Art Residency

2024 EatThis, Westland, Netherland
2024 Deveron Projects, Huntly Scotland
2023 Lottozero, Prato Italy
2022 Ateliers’ 89 Punto di Beyas Arte, Oranjestad Aruba
2019 Ateliers’ 89 Art Residency, Oranjestad Aruba

Education

2024-2026  Master Artistic Research, KABK, Royal Academy Den Haag
2015-2018  Gerrit Rietveld Academy, Bachelor of Art and Design, Amsterdam
2011-2014  IAAD, Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design, Turin

Sideline Activities

04.2022 – present
Art Mentor/Researcher at Waag Futurelab
04.2020 – 01.2023
Advisory Board member at Unbore – arts, life sciences and technology
01.2020 – 03.2022
Mentor at Fabricademy and concept developer at Textile Lab Amsterdam
02.2017 – present
Co-founder at art curatorial collective Absurd Beings Collective
09.2020 – 01.2021
Guest teacher at DesignLab Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam
09.2018 – 04.2021
Art Teacher DIY Textile School, Amsterdam
03.2017 – 08.2018
Co-founder and curator of Cultureel Centrum ‘t Fijnhout, Amsterdam
09.2014 – 06.2015
Assistant Officina Corpuscoli/Maurizio Montalti