Ricardo Alcaide
The career of Ricardo Alcaide (born 1967 in Caracas, Venezuela) has taken him to London, where he was a student, then to São Paulo, and finally to Antwerp, where he now lives. His work is defined by the intense exploration of urban spaces and how the social and economic contradictions that dominate these are reflected in the cityscape.
In his early artworks, the artist, who has roots in photography, portrayed city dwellers against their respective urban backdrops and other places, but he soon began to focus on the buildings themselves. Architecture, as well as abstract art, played an important role in Venezuela in the 1950s. During this time, under the regime of Marcos Pérez Jiménez, there were plans to transform the country into a ‘Nuevo Ideal Nacional’ (New National Ideal), as can be seen in building projects like Gio Ponti’s Villa Planchart—one of the most important references for Alcaide—and Carlos Raúl Villanueva’s Ciudad Universitarias. In his series of works “Intrusions,” Alcaide painted monochrome geometric elements over black and white photographs of these buildings, letting a touch of irony creep into the interferences he creates in spaces that are regarded as impeccable in the reception of architecture.
In another series, “Settlements,” Alcaide addresses temporal change and chance: two components that scarcely played a role in the modernist discourse. Here, objects consist of found elements taken from precarious architecture, like bricks, particle boards, broken tiles, and tarpaulins. The juxtaposition of the title, which refers to permanent forms of habitation, with the materials used, which embody fragility and temporariness, results in a quiet reflection on the discrepancies of urban spaces.
Alcaide processes contradictions like these in an abstract language of forms that unfolds a poetic depth while also echoing Minimal Art. This is especially prominent in his series “Rainbow of Chaos.” Rainbows in many variations are a theme in his work, and they usually have similar color palettes consisting primarily of pastels.
The installation “Sunset” (2019), which is part of the collection of the Museum Haus Konstruktiv, is an example of this. The work consists of seven shelf-like wall objects in yellow, orange, apricot, pink, violet, light blue, and petrol blue. The objects made out of polyurethane on MDF are geometrically divided by lines or protruding elements (and are unified by a horizon line running through all seven works). It is only when we get closer that we can make out whether these divisions are painted or are actual physical objects—a trompe l'œil effect that forces us to look at the work from various angles.
For Alcaide, many different reflections reverberate here: On the one hand, the sunset is a childhood memory of growing up in Venezuela at a time when it was prospering; on the other hand, it represents the blinding light before the darkness and thus also has political connotations. It becomes a metaphor for the connection between the past and the present—and ultimately infinity.
Over the years, Alcaide’s language of forms has become increasingly abstract and reduced. However, he has not given up his subtle political criticism. By integrating painted bricks into his wall objects, for example, he encourages associations with populist measures that try to cover up problems in the slums by simply making the walls more colorful.
Muriel Pérez
In his early artworks, the artist, who has roots in photography, portrayed city dwellers against their respective urban backdrops and other places, but he soon began to focus on the buildings themselves. Architecture, as well as abstract art, played an important role in Venezuela in the 1950s. During this time, under the regime of Marcos Pérez Jiménez, there were plans to transform the country into a ‘Nuevo Ideal Nacional’ (New National Ideal), as can be seen in building projects like Gio Ponti’s Villa Planchart—one of the most important references for Alcaide—and Carlos Raúl Villanueva’s Ciudad Universitarias. In his series of works “Intrusions,” Alcaide painted monochrome geometric elements over black and white photographs of these buildings, letting a touch of irony creep into the interferences he creates in spaces that are regarded as impeccable in the reception of architecture.
In another series, “Settlements,” Alcaide addresses temporal change and chance: two components that scarcely played a role in the modernist discourse. Here, objects consist of found elements taken from precarious architecture, like bricks, particle boards, broken tiles, and tarpaulins. The juxtaposition of the title, which refers to permanent forms of habitation, with the materials used, which embody fragility and temporariness, results in a quiet reflection on the discrepancies of urban spaces.
Alcaide processes contradictions like these in an abstract language of forms that unfolds a poetic depth while also echoing Minimal Art. This is especially prominent in his series “Rainbow of Chaos.” Rainbows in many variations are a theme in his work, and they usually have similar color palettes consisting primarily of pastels.
The installation “Sunset” (2019), which is part of the collection of the Museum Haus Konstruktiv, is an example of this. The work consists of seven shelf-like wall objects in yellow, orange, apricot, pink, violet, light blue, and petrol blue. The objects made out of polyurethane on MDF are geometrically divided by lines or protruding elements (and are unified by a horizon line running through all seven works). It is only when we get closer that we can make out whether these divisions are painted or are actual physical objects—a trompe l'œil effect that forces us to look at the work from various angles.
For Alcaide, many different reflections reverberate here: On the one hand, the sunset is a childhood memory of growing up in Venezuela at a time when it was prospering; on the other hand, it represents the blinding light before the darkness and thus also has political connotations. It becomes a metaphor for the connection between the past and the present—and ultimately infinity.
Over the years, Alcaide’s language of forms has become increasingly abstract and reduced. However, he has not given up his subtle political criticism. By integrating painted bricks into his wall objects, for example, he encourages associations with populist measures that try to cover up problems in the slums by simply making the walls more colorful.
Muriel Pérez
Works by Ricardo Alcaide
