o ramo nomeia a sombra

o ramo nomeia a sombra aims to be a poetic and visual investigation where the concepts of code, creativity, fiction, and representation are continuously transmuted. The observer is provided with an autonomous space of experience, detached from reality, and a need to reorganize the principles of visuality since these works lack references to an existence in the natural world.

Reflecting a constellation of influences and a continuous dialogue with the unconscious, Ricardo Angélico focuses on creating individual compositions with imaginary figures placed in often ambiguous contexts of action. These representations, seemingly detached from the global scenario, draw small narrative cells, guiding the observer through an intricate network of connections. The underlying reasoning does not follow a linear narrative but rather a combinatory approach, incorporating quotations, distortions, dynamism, and contamination of forms and ideas. In this way, the figuration in Ricardo Angélico's work does not situate us only in a specific space but also guides and crosses axes, absorbing the gaze into an infinity of more or less subtle connections. These works can be interpreted as constantly evolving catalogs, presenting multiple graphic incidences, resulting in enigmatic and deconstructive compositions. These compositions seek to transcend conventional classifications, promoting an analysis of the affinities between the figures. It is as if the artist embarks on an incessant task of recomposing the world, converting images into resources to analyze reality.

Catarina Leitão presents a series of drawings that hybridize the botanical world with the artificial, forming a systematized and organized compendium. Conceived as a project of fictional botanic investigation, the series reinterprets Linnaeus's "Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus differentiis, synonymis, locis," written in 1735, in light of the current predominance, almost immersive, of artificial means in daily reality. These works blend painting and drawing techniques to create analogies between technical objects and botanical elements within a formal scope, where natural world elements are added to or subtracted from technical objects. The imagery here manifests in the production of analogs, whether they result from conscious or unconscious operations, creating imaginary substitutes for reality.

Sharing a common understanding of the work as a window into observation modes of representation and knowledge formation, these two artists draw attention to how we perceive things outside of preconceived notions. In Ricardo Angélico's works, besides the non-hierarchical enunciation, the detachment from conventional systems opens the way for new interpretations and connections. In Catarina Leitão's series, Linnaeus's rigidity of ordering and systematization, proceeding to taxonomic classification with collaboration from scientific institutions, serves her to conduct a critical analysis, forcing an almost absurd and ironic operation. In both cases, the artists invite us to reconsider and reimagine other possibilities for knowledge, prompting a critical reflection on the norms and paradigms that shape our perception and understanding of reality.