Gabriel Chaile: Archaeology of Memory at Whitechapel Gallery, London

Exhibition overview

Gabriel Chaile: Archaeology of Memory is a new commission from Argentinian Lisbon-based artist Gabriel Chaile (b. 1985, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina) presented by Whitechapel Gallery. Curated by Carolina Jozami, the exhibition offers a significant opportunity to engage with Chaile's work following his shortlisting for the Fourth Plinth (2024) and presentation at Studio Voltaire (2023).

About the work

Chaile's practice is rooted in the distinctive cultural traditions of north-west Argentina. He creates engaging anthropomorphic sculptures, often monumental in scale using adobe (a type of clay made from local organic materials) which reinterpret the formal and material language of the region's indigenous communities. Acting as both anthropologist and storyteller, Chaile investigates what he terms the 'genealogy of form' – the idea that certain forms, motifs or shapes repeat throughout history, taking on a new significance in each changed context.

Exhibition dates

• April 1 – September 6, 2026

The commission

For the commission at Whitechapel Gallery, Chaile created a site-specific installation that engages with the particularly rich and diverse historical and cultural identity of the East End. Chaile will scavenge and source a range of objects (decorative and functional) from the local area surrounding Whitechapel Gallery, which will then feature in the exhibition. When entering the gallery, visitors will encounter a group of adobe sculptures that act as both containers for, and guardians of, the various local objects Chaile has found. His use of ancient organic forms to display culturally diverse objects offers a particularly intimate way of connecting worlds, peoples and stories, within a configuration that evokes a site of archaeological excavation.

The artist's practice

Chaile's fascination with collecting began with Portuguese ceramics, which he primarily found in street markets. He has stated: "I was interested in how these objects had a migrant story and, as I started travelling more for work, I began buying other objects that came from one culture but somehow ended up in another place entirely." This assembly of eclectic pieces formed the genesis of a 'migrant collection', comprised of objects, items and stories that foster connection with communities, highlighting both differences and affinities. For Chaile, the movement of objects speaks to the movement of people, and his work reflects on these journeys through his own experience of migration and questions about identity.

Publication

A fully illustrated publication accompanies the exhibition, featuring a commissioned text by Manuela Moscoso, curator and Executive and Artistic Director of the Center for Art, Research and Alliances (CARA) New York, and an interview with the artist.