Aguas Calientes, 2020

Gabriel Chaile, Aguas Calientes, 2020, Aluminum, 27.5 cm ø 29 cm

Gabriel Chaile’s project “ollas populares” is a series of aluminium pots that the artist exchanged for new cookware in soup kitchens of neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires, such as La Boca and San Telmo. Using the concept of the “communal pot” as a meeting point for cooperation and resistance, the artist reworked the used silverware, engraving on them faces inspired by vessels from indigenous cultures from the Argentine Northwest. Each pot carry the name of the respective soup kitchen, the number of years it served the community, and transcriptions of interviews conducted by Chaile with the locals.
These “community pots” refer to the solidarity of a people in circumstances of poverty of Argentina. They carry with them the stories and experiences of local communities throughout generations. Chaile’s documentation of his people, their daily realities of existence amidst poverty and disparity, communal gathering, and dreams of a better future are transcribed onto the pots themselves.
Each pot is engraved with faces carrying indigenous features from Northwest Argentina, the name of the respective soup kitchen, the number of years it served the community, and transcriptions of interviews conducted by Chaile with the locals.

Engraved text:
“… HA CAMBIADO MI PERSPECTIVA, MI FORMA DE VER…”
· LA SONRISA DEL CHE · LA DIGNIDAD UNIVERSITARIA
· NAC: JUNIO · 2015
· BARRIO ALMAFUERTE
· S. M. TUCUMAN
· ARG