黑料不打烊

Pilar Quinteros (b. 1988, Santiago, Chile) grew up in the remote landscapes of Chilean Patagonia. Today, she splits her time between Barcelona, Spain, and Basel, Switzerland. With a background in art from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, she is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts at the Institute Art Gender Nature (IAGN) at HGK Basel FHNW.

Quinteros' work blends drawing, sculpture, performance, and video, focusing on themes of history, "reality," and the transformation of specific environments. Her artistic approach is grounded in the use of simple, delicate materials to create temporary, often ephemeral pieces, with the process itself an important part of her work. Through video and photography, she documents her hands-on, manual efforts, which play a vital role in the intellectual development of her creations. Quinteros' work has been presented internationally, including at events like the Istanbul Biennial (2025), Folkestone Triennial (2021), and the S茫o Paulo Biennial (2016). As a co-founder of the MICH Collective (2010-2019) and part of the former Cumbia Collectivo (2020-2024), she continues to explore new possibilities in how materials and space can reshape our understanding of the world around us.

The process behind Blood for Blood, the name of the exhibition taking place at City Salts, began last year, shortly after I moved to Basel to study for my Master of Arts at the HGK. At the time, I was living illegally and secretly in the studio of some friends. Even though the building where the studio was located was going to be demolished in just a few months, the women who had their studios there were constantly worried about whether I was living there or not. I would go from feeling hatred to affection from one moment to the next, because they warned me and asked where I lived, while at the same time they were giving me art supplies and finding my poor German funny and complimenting me on it. And between almost never paying the tram fare and living in this workshop, I began to create (or so I think) a layer of camouflage or invisibility that was very useful in practice, but that made me feel a little uncomfortable and bad emotionally. It made me think about the disguises we use to do what we want and must do, the layers we have above and below. Switzerland, or at least Basel, which is what I know, makes me think about this. So much wonder is hidden in something. Perhaps because where I come from, Chile, generosity is only felt in extreme cases, like when half the country collapses (typically from earthquakes, fires, and tsunamis. The usual), and here they have a Telegram where they give away new bikes and household appliances. Why? How did they achieve that? Experience makes you suspicious. In Chile, if you talk to someone on the street, they'll think you're trying to steal from them. And here, the water is drinkable in all the city's fountains, with a few exceptions. I haven't taken the risk of doing that yet. The other day I was talking about this with a Swiss friend, and he calmly told me it was because they have the Alps nearby. His story is missing parts, I thought... Because where I come from, we have the Andes, and you go drinking water from any fountain, to see how it goes...

This exhibition doesn't provide answers. It's motivated by a lot of questions and doubts. What do you have to do to have drinking water in all the fountains in your city? What do you do once you've got it? Helping others so they can also have this experience? Thinking about this, I came across this company, Wasser f眉r Wasser (Water for Water), which brings drinking water to African countries, and the name sounded like an exchange. A transaction. An eye for an eye, blood for blood. Because no, nothing is free. NOTHING. Let someone come and tell me otherwise.