Gelman & Stekel

From the mining capital of Calama—where aggressive extractivism has profoundly impacted both landscapes and lives—David has brought critical visibility to Chilean contemporary art. Rooted in a deep investigation of sculpture, he elevates the medium by merging classical techniques with innovative materials, forging a powerful aesthetic language that speaks to environmental and territorial urgency. Since 2018, he has expanded his practice to include performance in natural landscapes, a gesture that enters into dialogical tension with his sculptural work.

Currently based in Calama, in the heart of the Atacama Desert, David continues to develop a body of work centered on the abuse inflicted by the copper mining industry in northern Chile. Working primarily in sculpture, he incorporates site-specific performance and its intervened photographic documentation across diverse geographic contexts—deepening the connection between sculpture, body, territory, and purpose.

David's artistic language transcends the sculptural object—traditionally tied to industrial materials—and moves toward territorial performance, where precision, care, and a reverence for ancestral landscapes are central. At the core of his work lies a commitment to the reinterpretation of matter: he "unlearns" materials in order to transform them, reaffirming the artisanal and poetic potential of contemporary sculpture.

His work reveals the local effects of accelerated copper extraction while simultaneously addressing, on a global scale, the scars left by consumer society on ecosystems and ancestral communities who have long been guardians of their territories. His work was recently recognized with a Special Mention in the LOEWE Foundation Craft Prize 2021, underscoring the international relevance of his vision and craftsmanship.