Argentine artist Gabriel Chaile is preparing to build his world of adobe between the historic columns of Whitechapel Gallery from 1 April to 13 September 2026.
Chaile doesn’t just make sculptures; he constructs living structures that bring together earth, memory, and social bonds.
The Memory of the Earth: Giants of Adobe
Gabriel Chaile’s art is deeply rooted in Argentina’s pre-Columbian and indigenous craft traditions. The feature that has propelled the artist onto the world stage is his monumental adobe sculptures. These works are often:
- Anthropomorphic Ovens and Vessels: His sculptures resemble enormous ovens designed not only to be looked at, but to be actively used (for cooking, for feeding communities).
- Cooking as Social Bond: For Chaile, the act of cooking is a political act that strengthens communal ties and transmits cultural heritage.
- Material Choice: The adobe he uses symbolizes both ephemerality and a return to the earth—to roots.
From Hornero Birds to the Streets of East End
London audiences may already know Chaile from his shortlisted proposal for the 2024 “Fourth Plinth” project in Trafalgar Square. At that time, the artist proposed an adobe form inspired by the nests that Argentina’s hornero birds build atop public monuments.
In this new commission at Whitechapel, curated by Caroline Jozami, Chaile shifts his focus to London’s East End. The work draws nourishment from the area’s rich cultural diversity, the solidarity-based community structures of the East End, and the intertwined stories of its local past and present.
Why You Should See It
Gabriel Chaile’s works offer one of those rare experiences that disrupt the sterile atmosphere of a museum space with the smell and texture of the earth. As you walk among the giant ovens and enormous vessels, you will bear witness not only to Argentina’s indigenous culture, but to a universal story about humanity’s most fundamental desire: the longing to “be together” and to “share.”
“Chaile’s sculptures are not silent; they are noisy and warm monuments that carry the stories of the past to today’s table.”
