Adriano Ribeiro

My artwork is conceptually formless, an empty space in which occasionally I take a flamethrower into and start all over again, with love. This is what I’ve been doing for the past decades. It’s my job, my passion, my duty. I am really grateful and honored to the universe for this assignment.

Adriano Ribeiro
• I was born in the Amazonian city of Belém, Brazil, July 1970. From the year 2000 I live in Italy.
• I paint, sculpt and draw since I was a child, figurative and then changing to abstract art.
• I studied philosophy and industrial design, I am essentially a self-taught artist.
• I work in my green sunny farm-studio in the heart of the amazing Sicilian countryside.
• Fluent speak: English, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian.

Artist Statement
I intimately think that building a visual subject is above all immediacy, I am a pretty rational and pragmatic person consequently I do not place through my art cultural contradictions or philosophical reflections, I’m into the pure visual zone of my work most of the time.

In other words I’m just looking for a trice of emotion in the abstract beauty, something that I can read on the fly, and cry and laugh without having to identify myself entirely, that goes beyond me as a creative, or creator, a conceptual entity that can embrace and accumulate a lot of energy on my small painting surface.

There’s a lot of science references and some sci fi allegories in my artworks rather than only abstract intuition or inspiration, I love the way these fields occasionally coincide in the same space, in a sort of cosmic cooperation.

I’m just bringing my long time technical skills in over 30 years of experience manipulating materials to create my abstract masks, and I hope the universe will bring everything else, the real thing: the energy, the connection, the supreme intelligence.

This Artist Statement will surely be changed or upgraded in the next future, as every little thing in this existence, every molecule and atom are in a constant move, so am I.

The Process
I paint mainly on canvas, I prefer thick and raw types of cotton tissue. Sometimes I use heavy weight paper or wood board.

I work on 3-5 pieces simultaneously, I don’t do sketches, I don’t consider anything prior, I just prepare the surfaces and the initial textures the day before.

My work needs a hard physical effort and this is a constant pleasure, no chance for boredom or annoyance. Sometimes things won’t go smoothly, so I just let everything as they are and go for a walk and meditation, or perhaps leave and let everything for the other day.

Materials:
Canvas, wood, paper, gesso, beeswax, fibers, acrylic colors, oil, UV resin, spray paint, pastels. Tools: Spatulas, brushes, brooms, heat gun, glue gun etc.

Awards and Grants
• 3° Place IV SART Rondonya award, Brazil – 1997
• 1° Place “La Fenice” Palermo award, Italy – 2001

Collections
• Private collections in USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
• Museum permanent exhibition: MUDAC “Museo D’Arte Contemporanea” Syracuse, Italy