Artwork description:

CRITICIAL REVIEW
Rikardo's artistic expression is anything but already seen and boring (re)interpretation of the world. He has successfully avoided the present trap where there are none and the same time many artistic directions, ideas and aspirations. Through his creativity, Rikardo takes observers through seemingly imaginary worlds of strange, unusual characters and different episodes in their lives. We say seemingly because these are not imaginary worlds; it is everyday life and mind of the 21st century men.

These are not unusual characters, they are tangible or intangible monsters and philanthropists presented in tangible space and we often don’t know how to describe or reach them. This is exactly what Rikardo does – he reflects what we try to present to ourselves, what we are trying to become. He refines events which would otherwise go unnoticed or become old news, just another click on the websites. Through abstract, figurative, geometric forms in digital and analog drawings, he makes the world more accessible and not so ephemeral. He portrays the chaos of the 21st century; the bustle, but also the passivity and indifference, overcrowded cities, intersections piled with cars, places crowded with waste and injustice. And because there is no clear indication of space and time in his works, a magic of inconclusive appears, creating a connection for any observer. Any resident of Tokyo, New York or Sarajevo could recognize themselves in this painted madness.

Rikardo’s technique is primarily playful. He plays with artistic expression and forms, applying the technique of drawing and adapting it to digital form. He uses colors boldly, sometimes the whole pad is black, sometimes white, and most often there are small fields bordered with black lines.

Parceling of colored fields evokes the poeticism of Paul Klee’s works. Actually Rikardo’s view of the world is somewhat like Klee’s – mature, but childish, mild but bold. While on one hand we can recognize the atmosphere of Klee in his works, on the other hand we also recognize the atmosphere of contemporary Kandinsky. Figurative scenes, and figurative and geometric forms are dominating and intertwining through his work. The use and dissemination of lines, which are both free and precisely planned, the drama and fluidity follow Kandinsky’s, transforming it into new artistic expression – street art poetics.

Rikardo’s work may seem as already seen piece of art because, at the first sight, they remind us of graffiti from the surrounding urban structures and precisely in this similarity lies the central symbolism or Rikardo’s expression – rebellion. Rebellion in lines and forms, rebellion amongst vertical and horizontal surfaces which are opposed to each other, rebellion between anthropomorphic, zoomorphic and floral forms and by painting the rebellion, Rikardo reconciles opposing sides and creates balance and harmony of disorder. Taking visual form of graffiti, he takes their symbolism too, but also reconciles a burning social issue of (non)recognition of street art as art. He takes the visual form of graffiti and transforms it into works on canvas, paper, virtual pad, keeping the symbolism of rebellion and emphasizing it through, sometimes, satirical titles of his works.

Materials used:

digital print

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