Iván Argote Softens the Edges of Power in 'Breathings'
Works that probe into what we choose to remember.
Iván Argote made waves in New York last fall when his 16-foot pigeon made a home for itself on the High Line in Downtown Manhattan. Now, the Colombian artist and filmmaker is back, just in time for Frieze Week, with a new special solo exhibition at Perrotin.
Spanning nearly two decades of practice, Breathings arrives on the heels of three major international projects: Descanso, a central outdoor installation at the 2024 Venice Biennale; Dinosaur, his High Line Plinth commission (2024–2026); and Air de Jeu, part of the Prix Marcel Duchamp exhibition at the Centre Pompidou (2022–2023). Employing a deeply reflective lens on power and history, these works position Argote as one of the most resonant voices interrogating the role of monuments in both preserving and challenging dominant narratives.
The exhibition unfolds in two gestures; the first, a playful critique. The artist dismantles and reimagines monuments with wit and imagination, inviting viewers to question the stories we’ve inherited through architecture and public space. The second gesture is gentler, offering a tender counterbalance. Through text-based silk paintings and other poetic works, Argote creates space for empathy, intimacy and hope — a call to soften the hard surfaces of history.
While the show takes its name from a series of six delicate silk paintings, the exhibition as a whole is a meditation on the long arc of Argote’s career. In a world overwhelmed by noise and spectacle, Breathings asks us to pause, listen and imagine a gentler way forward.
The exhibition is now on view in New York until May 31.
Perrotin New York
130 Orchard Street
New York, NY, 10002
