FRANCISCO RIVAS (VENEZUELA, 1982)
IS A VISUAL ARTIST BASED IN LISBON. HIS PRACTICE EXPLORES THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN POPULAR AESTHETICS AND CONTEMPORARY CRITIQUE, WHERE HUMOR AND VULNERABILITY COEXIST. THROUGH REPETITION AND COLOR, HE DECONSTRUCTS THE LOGIC OF THE EVERYDAY IMAGE, BRINGING TO THE SURFACE A BRUTAL AND TENDER VISION OF CONSUMER CULTURE.
HIS WORK FUNCTIONS AS A SYSTEM OF REWRITING — RECOMPOSING BRANDS, OBJECTS, AND SYMBOLS FROM CARIBBEAN AND LATIN AMERICAN VISUAL MEMORY INTO NEW TOPOGRAPHIES OF DESIRE AND ABSURDITY. ERROR, IMPERFECTION, AND EXCESS BECOME EXPRESSIVE TOOLS, REVEALING THE HUMAN TRACE WITHIN THE MECHANISMS OF MASS PRODUCTION.