Felipe Pineda's 'Dicho a mano' at MAC Santiago: Theft Adds Layer to Communication Crisis

On May 14, 2026, a sculpture by Chilean artist Felipe Pineda was stolen from the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (MAC) in Santiago, just before closing. The piece, part of his exhibition 'Dicho a mano' curated by Ayelén Ruiz, depicted a hand with an extended index finger pointing at three others; now only an empty space remains. The theft echoes previous art heists in the Bellas Artes neighborhood, including a Rodin sculpture taken in 2005 by an art student and a painting by José Pedro Godoy stolen in 2017 by a homeless person—both later returned to the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Pineda's exhibition, which opened March 20, 2026, explores the impossibility of communication through jesmonite sculptures resembling stone, marble, or ceramic. The works were inspired by his experience as a migrant in London while studying at Goldsmiths, where he used hand gestures when English failed him. The show also incorporates embossed paper pictograms based on museum signage, questioning how art is experienced when touching is prohibited. The stolen piece's disappearance introduces an unintended dimension to the exhibition's themes of loss and the desire to be understood. 'Dicho a mano' runs until June 24, 2026, at MAC Parque Forestal.