Simón Sepúlveda: Art as a response to gentrification and change

• Chilean artist Simón Sepúlveda is conducting a residency at Matadero Madrid, developing his project titled 'Hope is a bar' (La esperanza es un bar).
• The project connects two contrasting spaces: the now-demolished Ermita del Santo shopping center and the 'La Esperanza' bar, addressing the impact of gentrification in the Carabanchel neighborhood.
• His work spans multiple mediums, including oil painting, sculpture, and video, to create a dreamlike narrative regarding social and cultural crises.

Narrative and Concept

• The project is anchored in a fable inspired by a bird-shaped piece of jewelry discovered in New Mexico, which acts as a bridge between the artist’s locations and the Manzanares river in Madrid.
• The narrative follows the soul of the jewelry traveling through galaxies and getting lost, eventually arriving in Madrid and witnessing the decay of urban spaces.
• Sepúlveda explores his own role as a potential agent of gentrification, maintaining a critical but skeptical distance from the local community he is documenting.

Professional Evolution

• Originally a graphic designer, Sepúlveda worked in New York and for Apple in San Francisco before feeling disillusioned by corporate branding and client feedback loops.
• He emphasizes 'inconsistency' as a creative factor, rejecting the idea of sticking to a single format and prioritizing humor as a core element in his work.
• His transition to fine art allowed him to pursue a 'cyclic' approach to creation, incorporating materials like sand and seeds into his paintings.

Future Outlook

• Following his residency, Sepúlveda is preparing for an exhibition scheduled for January 2027 at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Santiago, Chile.
• The upcoming exhibition will focus on the dichotomy between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, exploring how European aesthetic tastes affect local art currents through the story of a felled paulownia tree.