BONJOUR CHIEN

A Dog in the City

Bonjour Chien (literaly Hello Dog) is a set of six comic-style sculptures created by illustrator Chien Champion, featuring the character Chien, a curious, sensitive being in constant transformation, through the different stages of his arrival in a new city.

For this project, the artist drew inspiration from his own journey between Montreal and the Chilean origins of his family. Shaped by a fascination with the world around him, this narrative becomes, for Chien, a quest toward the place he might call “home.” At the center of this journey, a bag accompanies the character, symbolizing migration and memory, carrying origins, routes, and stories. It serves as a reminder that even while on the move, one never truly stops carrying multiple versions of oneself.

The aesthetic of Chien Champion, whose real name is Felipe Arriagada-Núñez, blends simple forms with an intentionally abundant visual language and an imperfect pencil line. Bright colors, moving images, and transforming patterns: his visual language oscillates between attentive observation of everyday life and imaginative overflow. The artist embraces a sense of chaos, where memories, places, and identities intertwine.

Conceived as an open-air art exhibition, the work can be installed across different locations within the same area or grouped within a single perimeter. Installed in parks, public squares, pedestrian routes, or gathering spaces, the sculptures form a pathway in which each stop corresponds to a stage in the character’s journey. Visitors are thus invited to follow Chien as he discovers a new environment, transforming public space into a site of storytelling, wandering, and contemplation.