José Sottomayor (b. 1997  Lisbon, Portugal) is a sculptor at the sweet intersections of food, play and subversive aesthetics. Slick and colorful, translucent and jellied, Sotomayor’s work is a manifesto against the transient allure of consumer goods. Using glass, ceramics, plastic, rubber, wax and candy, it disguises both source and function behind effect. These works hold a magnetism that brings all to the table, seduced into communal awe and unexpected joy.



    Studied at the António Arroio Artistic Secondary School and specialized in ceramics. In 2018, I obtained a degree in sculpture from the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Lisbon and completed a master's degree in the Dirty Art Department at the Sandberg Institute in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The first solo exhibition, Where is the Purple Man, was held at Duplex in 2019/2020. Has participated in group exhibitions such as Casa da Dona Laura 4, Yellow is where the art is, and the SOMA festival. As a board member of the POUSIO association, I play a role in creating new projects and coordinating artistic residencies. Currently works between Lisbon and Amsterdam, developing individual, collective, and community art projects.