Working with symbolically charged, organic materials such as mud, clay, and adobe, Gabriel Chaile (b. 1985; San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina) creates large-scale—frequently biomorphic, often functional—sculptures that reinterpret the formal and material language of the indigenous communities in Northeast Argentina. Acting as both anthropologist and storyteller throughout his practice, Chaile investigates what he terms the “genealogy of form”—or the idea that forms repeat throughout the history of visual culture, taking on a new significance in each recurring context. Incorporating these forms throughout his work—and alluding to their multitude of referents—Chaile at once memorializes and revitalizes the traditions and practices of his ancestors and his community.
Collaboration and community are foundational tenets of Chaile’s practice. Drawing upon the sacred rituals and traditions of pre-Columbian cultures—as well as contemporary communal customs—Chaile integrates the ritualistic and communal significance of food into his practice. At times, his sculptures operate as pots or ovens that communities gather around to prepare and enjoy food, activating the works themselves in the process. In this way, Chaile’s practice imagines a possible future for the rich traditions in which he finds his inspiration.
Chaile has exhibited extensively around the world. His work has been the subject of solo and two-artist presentations at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, CA; Kunsthalle Lissabon, Lisbon, Portugal; the Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires, Argentina; the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Fondo Nacional de las Artes; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Centro Cultural Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Nuevo Museo Energía de Arte Contemporáneo, Buenos Aires, Argentina. His large-scale, public work The Wind Blows Where it Wishes was presented on the High Line in New York in 2023. Chaile’s work was included in the Venice Biennale and the Coimbra Biennial of Contemporary Art in 2022 and the New Museum Triennial in 2021. He has been featured in group exhibitions at the Fondation Thalie, Brussels, Belgium; Centro de Creación Contemporánea de Andalucía, Spain; Espacio de Arte Contemporáneo, Montevideo, Uruguay; Centro Cultural Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Museo de Arte Moderno de Cuenca, Ecuador; Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Latinoamericano, La Plata, Argentina; Museo de la Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Argentina. Chaile’s work is included in collections of the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires, Argentina; the Fundación Costantini, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, Madrid, Spain; and Kadist Foundation, Paris, France. He studied Fine Art at the National University of Tucumán. The artist lives and works between Buenos Aires, Argentina and Lisbon, Portugal.