Dani Umpi's 'Obra Reunida' Retrospective Opens at SUBTE in Montevideo

Dani Umpi, born Daniel Umpiérrez in Tacuarembó, Uruguay, in 1974, presents a thirty-year retrospective at the Centro de Exposiciones SUBTE in Montevideo, curated by Rodrigo Barcos. Running from July 16 to October 4, 2026, the exhibition rejects a chronological survey in favor of affinities, repetitions, and contaminations among works spanning collage, photography, performance, installation, music, and literature. Umpi describes himself as a rhizomatic artist who accumulates rather than chooses one medium. The show includes works by his mentor Fernando López Lage, intervened photographs by Franco Mehlhose, and a portrait by Martha Escondeur. A living-room section with wicker chairs, a nearly monochrome wallpaper made of hundreds of small papers, intervened vessels, and sneakers offers a place to pause. Religious and esoteric references—the Virgin, alchemical symbols, kabbalah—appear stripped of doctrine. A press archive in vitrines treats public image as creative material, linked to the archetypes of the buffoon and the duende. A quote attributed to astrologer Verónica Lavalle, 'In life there are two destinies and one depends on you,' opens the show. A dress made from milk bags, designed by Pilar de Vera and worn by Umpi on Omar Gutiérrez's program, is included. The exhibition resists solemnity and homage, leaving the story open.