The New Methods series shows fragments of copies of classical sculptures acquired by Argote in China. Over them the artist inserts texts that he himself created, which reveal his sociopolitical and artistic questionings.

In his new film, La Plaza del Chafleo, 2019, Iván Argote proposes an imaginary public square that would be named after the verb “chaflear”, which is also an imaginary verb, a neologism. Argote proposes this new verb as a monument for this square, a verb defined by the way people use the place; for example, if people came to kiss, “chaflear” would mean “kissing,” if people came to protest, “chaflear” would mean “protesting.” The film speculates on what might be “chaflear,” and raises different questions about how we use public spaces both symbolically and physically. Through this speculation, La Plaza del Chafleo makes some leaps in time and space: part of its narrative takes place in a recording studio – in a kind or reconstituted garden – where actions with parts of bodies and objects take place. Another act takes place in a public square in Douala, Cameroon, and analyzes the way in which the word “Cameroon” has lost its meaning between different periods of colonization by different nations and languages. In another moment, the film records an intervention made in a public space of Buenos Aires. In the Argentine capital, Argote promoted the refueling of an emptied public fountain known as the Fountain of Poetry. The monument had been abandoned by the government eight years ago, after serving as a meeting point for poetry readings. During his action, Argote filled the fountain with 15,000 liters of water and resumed its functionality. La Plaza del Chafleo also registers a children’s protest that emerges from a workshop run by Argote at the MALBA museum (BsAs). This elastic nature of the film makes it a tool to debate ideas about public spaces and to promote collaborative interventions and experiences.