A Place to Hide: Ricardo Alcaide

After his time in Brazil between 2005 and 2008, when he exhibited the portrait series Sitters (2005), Ricardo Alcaide(Caracas, 1967) returns with the exhibition A Place to Hide.

His proposal originates from photographs he took while documenting homeless shelters in the streets of downtown São Paulo. Revisiting this context, Alcaide explores the physical and psychological need for individuals to hide and retreatfrom an apparently marginal situation.

The search for these makeshift spaces, created with minimal resources, is reflected in a series of paintings, ceramic sculptures, and a wood installation, forming geometric shapes that reference the real-life scenarios documented during the artist's initial research in São Paulo’s urban landscape.

Through photographs, paintings, and sculptures, the exhibition reflects on the relationship between architecture, urbanism, and society, exploring themes of pain, estrangement, and absence.

Ricardo Alcaide has exhibited in Venezuela, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Belgium, and Brazil since 1990. Notable exhibitions include: Prominent Space Project, MA Fine Art Show, Chelsea College of Art and Design, London, UK (2007); Oh a Rhinoceros!, Ubu Gallery, Glasgow, UK (2007); Azul de Noturno Mar, Caixa Cultural, São Paulo, Brazil (2005); Arte Venezolano del Siglo XX, The 90s, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, Caracas, Venezuela (2003); VI Bienal de Artes Visuales Christian Dior, Fundación Centro Cultural, Caracas, Venezuela (1999); The Self-Portrait Exhibition, The Association Gallery, London, UK (1998); and 10 Años de Fotografía, Private View, London, UK (1997).