PRESS RELEASE
An Urban Stroll by Chien Champion Reveals Another Side of City Living
Montreal, May 6, 2026 — Chien has arrived in Montreal – let the summer begin! From today to September 27, Montrealers, festivalgoers, residents and visitors are invited to discover Bonjour Chien, d’ici et d’ailleurs, an urban walk by Chien Champion that unfolds in the Quartier des Spectacles and downtown. Through a series of sculptures, installations and video projections, the public is invited to follow Chien, a character who explores the city, learns its ways and searches for his place. In the world of Montreal artist Felipe Arriagada-Nunez, Montreal becomes, for the summer, a colourful and comic-book-like place. In parallel, creative workshops will offer opportunities to explore the project’s graphic universe and themes. Bonjour Chien, d’ici et d’ailleurs is an invitation to wander, marvel and rediscover the city in a new light, as part of a truly exciting summer.
Chien Champion is the second annual guest creator in the Carte blanche series, which invites a local artist to transform the Quartier des Spectacles based on their unique vision and imagination.
A Work to Be Experienced Through Play and Observation
Spanning several iconic downtown sites—Place des Festivals, Complexe Desjardins, the Grande Bibliothèque, Sainte-Catherine Street West, Phillips Square, the Montreal Eaton Centre, Place Montréal Trust, Place Ville Marie and The Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth—the work takes the form of a series of free-to-explore installations based on Chien Champion’s drawings.
The work follows a simple narrative thread: that of an arrival. Through a series of situations—observing, playing, waiting, changing—the character learns to make the city his home.
“It’s the story of a character who arrives with his luggage. He’s carrying a whole world, an entire past, a rich tapestry of references. And he explores the city while trying to carve out a place for himself. Gradually, he finds what could become his home,” explains artist Felipe Arriagada-Nunez.
The work is set within a unique graphic world: spontaneous lines, bold colours, an aesthetic reminiscent of comic books, somewhere between daydreams and realism. The images overflow and overlap, allowing multiple narratives to coexist.
An Urban Stroll to Follow Chien’s Quest
Chien Champion has crafted a visual narrative inspired by his own life story. Born in Montreal to Chilean parents, the illustrator’s work draws on his dual heritage. “Through the installations, I’m telling a story in images, almost like a film. There aren’t many words, we just let people move through it and find their own path,” adds Felipe Arriagada-Nunez.
Video projections set the scene on the Grande Bibliothèque, near the Saint-Laurent metro station and on Édifice Wilder | Espace danse, blending fragments of memory with images of the city. Near Esplanade Tranquille, a sculpture of Chien called L’arrivée marks his arrival. With his bag in hand, he settles into the city and gets attuned to its rhythm in that frozen moment when everything is yet to be discovered. Then, on Sainte-Catherine Street West, a marquee mounted on a cherry picker draws the eye upward. Part performance poster and part mobile structure, this installation evokes a city under construction, and Chien is invited to be part of it. Nearby, a series of poles punctuates the route with poetic and narrative signage. On Place des Festivals, the public is invited to Le jeu – playtime. A soccer field, ping-pong tables and a basketball hoop transform the plaza into a gathering place. Inside Complexe Desjardins, we see Chien’s characters in settings that evoke snapshots of family gatherings and parties. On Phillips Square, a sculpture of a seated Chien studies passersby and learns the rhythms of the city. At the Montreal Eaton Centre, a Chien wearing oversized shoes moves through a world that’s still too big for him. At Place Montréal Trust, the character transforms into a clock! Carrying time like a life experience, he embodies the slow process of integration, culminating in adjustment to the rhythm of the place. At Place Ville Marie, Chien blends into the landscape, like a living postcard, capturing the present moment while creating memories. Finally, in front of The Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, Chien curls up in his bag. The object is both a refuge and a memory: a symbol of everything we carry with us.
Creative Workshops in the World of Chien Champion
To delve even deeper into the vibrant world of Chien Champion, three free creative workshops will be offered this summer in the Esplanade Tranquille pavilion. Young and old alike are invited to create their own version of the artist’s comic-book universe through fun drawing and colouring activities that explore the project’s themes. The first workshop, led by the artist himself, will take place on Saturday, May 9, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the pavilion. Two more sessions will follow on August 22 and September 12. Free—no registration required.
Quotes
“With Bonjour Chien, d’ici et d’ailleurs, our goal is to offer the public an artistic experience that engages both the body and the imagination. It is part of the Partnership’s commitment to providing accessible and inclusive artistic experiences in public spaces. We deeply appreciate how Felipe Arriagada-Nunez’s works offer a sensitive reflection on the city and the way we live in it,” said Monique Simard, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership.
“Art installations play an important role in bringing the downtown core to life and in enriching the cultural experience for everyone. As an extension of the Quartier des Spectacles, Complexe Desjardins makes active contributions to Montreal’s cultural vitality by hosting major artistic projects in its spaces. Chien Champion’s Les retrouvailles is part of an exceptional group of works, and it is a natural fit for Complexe Desjardins’ summer arts program, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year,” said Marie‑Pier Labarre, Marketing Manager, Property Management Division, Complexe Desjardins.
“We are very pleased to help bring Bonjour Chien, d’ici et d’ailleurs to life in our downtown properties. We invite the public to discover the world of Chien Champion through this accessible and inclusive series of works,” said Karine Fortin, Senior Director, Property Management, Canderel.
“With Bonjour Chien, d’ici et d’ailleurs, the Quartier des Spectacles becomes an open-air book, a cultural stroll where a story weaves together reality and imagination. By partnering with this experience, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec reaffirms the role of the Grande Bibliothèque as a welcoming and anchoring space for diverse stories, where everyone can recognize themselves, marvel and find an echo of their own journey,” said Laureen Moock-Colombani, Executive Director of the Experience and of the Grande Bibliothèque, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec.
