Argentinian dream. Felipe Jácome.

Argentina is a country where football is not simply a sport; it is an emotional fabric, a narrative that crosses generations, social classes and crises. In this context, Felipe Jácome, with his series ‘Argentinian Dream’, invites us to reflect on the tensions between economic vulnerability and the strength of the collective dream.

Jácome uses a provocative and deeply symbolic technique: he transfers photographs of young people playing football onto Argentinean peso banknotes, a material charged with meaning. These banknotes, worn by inflation and economic collapse, become canvases that establish a powerful contrast: the Argentinean peso, emblem of a broken economy, coexists with images that capture the impetus of youth, its struggle and its dreams. This contrast underlines the tension between the material crisis and the symbolic strength of sport as a space of resistance.

In the slums of Buenos Aires, where opportunities are scarce and challenges abound, football emerges as a space of hope. Here, young people don’t just play; they project in sport the possibility of transcending their circumstances. Jácome captures with his lens this mixture of play, struggle and longing, immortalising it in banknotes that, paradoxically, represent both crisis and the possibility of redemption.

The project also dialogues with history. We cannot help but remember the 1986 World Cup, when Diego Maradona, coming from a poor village, became a national hero by leading Argentina to victory against England in the context of the Falklands conflict. At that time, football offered a narrative of pride and unity amidst a bleak political and social landscape. ‘Argentinian Dream’ recaptures that spirit, suggesting that, despite structural fractures, sport remains a channel for expressing identity, resilience and community.

Francisco Jarrín

Fotoperiodist and Curator

Galería Nueva: Daniel Silvo Glez.

You can request more information at this e-mail address: prensa@galerianueva.com