PRESS RELEASE
An Urban Odyssey With Chien Champion in the Quartier des Spectacles and Downtown Montreal
Montreal, April 21, 2026 — The Quartier des Spectacles Partnership is pleased to present Bonjour Chien, d’ici et d’ailleurs, an urban art walk imagined by Montreal illustrator Chien Champion opening May 6, 2026, in the Quartier des Spectacles and downtown Montreal. Presented in outdoor public spaces and several indoor spaces, the walk features sculptures, installations and video projections in a series of works that invites the public to follow the character of Chien on a personal quest. Chien is an inquisitive, sensitive and ever-changing being who explores the city, observes it, plays with it, and tries to find his place there. Through the eyes of Chien Champion, the alter ego of illustrator Felipe Arriagada-Nunez, Montreal becomes a colourful, cartoonish place on the border of reality and fantasy.
This project is part of the second Carte blanche edition, an annual event in which a local artist presents their singular vision and imagination in the Quartier des Spectacles. Last summer, Ariane Moffatt turned the Quartier des Spectacles into a giant playground with Place aux jeux.
A Profoundly Human Journey
Presented at several iconic sites in the heart of the city, from Place des Festivals, Complexe Desjardins and Sainte-Catherine St. West to Phillips Square, the Eaton Centre, Place Montréal Trust, the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth and Place Ville Marie, along with several building façades, Bonjour Chien, d’ici et d’ailleurs, is a series of major installations based on drawings by Chien Champion. The series, designed to be explored in any order, is situated in the artist’s unique visual world of spontaneous and slightly rough lines, bold colours and an almost cartoonish aesthetic, in which images overflow the frame, overlap and tell multiple stories simultaneously.
The journey’s narrative thread is grounded in the newcomer’s arrival. Through a series of situations, Chien learns to live in a new city. Inspired by the artist’s life in Montreal and his family’s roots in Chile, between belonging and movement, the series’ visual storytelling addresses the themes of migration and belonging in a playful and accessible language.
“It’s the story of a character who arrives with his baggage. He’s carrying an entire world, an entire past, an intricate web of references. And he discovers the city while he tries to find his place there. Slowly but surely, he finds the place that could become his home,” said Felipe Arriagada-Nunez, alias Chien Champion.
A Distinctive Visual World
The work of Chien Champion is readily recognizable. It features simple, bold strokes, thick and soft shapes and a palette of saturated colours. His images are often lavishly detailed, layering scenes and mini-stories in a playful and deeply evocative style.
Born in Montreal to Chilean parents, the artist creates work informed by his multiple cultural reference points, from Latin America to Quebec. In his world, sports, especially soccer, are a space for meeting and sharing, where identities can coexist without being erased.
