Duarte Sequeira Gallery participates in the 2022 Edition of Kiaf Seoul (booth S-04) with a solo presentation by Ricardo Passaporte (b. 1987, Lisbon, Portugal), that will consist of nine new paintings depicting three types of sport related dogs.
The subject of this series of new paintings emphasises animals as protagonists, and more specifically, dogs in a sporting context. Passaporte creates a narrative around this topic that includes the presentation of three Dalmatian dogs, three Bichon frises, and three Greyhounds. Any human figures become "secondary" in this context; the artist purposefully withholds presenting any specific characteristics on their face, or in other cases, only presents a few body features that interact with the dogs in these specific events. These works are the result of the artist's research and recreation of images found online that depict animals in sporting events and competitions.
Ricardo Passaporte´s work draws attention to the hand-drawn, homespun nature of their creation by referencing Outsider Art and engaging with the repetitiveness and impulsivity of graffiti. The artist explores the symbolic nature of found images and uses this material as inspiration to inform his practice. Passaporte takes interest in and raises questions around the nature of making art, as well as the dichotomies between the mass-produced and the uniquely singular art object.
