What is the best thing that I love about my work?
What I like most about my job is the fact that I don’t consider it a job. What I do is for pure pleasure and delight. Being an artist is a way of being; always attentive to the world around me, often in an almost unconscious way, as if I were a sponge that absorbs, to later transport to its work, all the emotions that are a reflection of the society in which I operate. This gives me immense pleasure, as I am an element that awakens social awareness to certain aspects of daily life in society. Feeling that I somehow gave a message, touched the emotions of others, is extremely gratifying.

What is my idea of happiness?

Happiness is a very complex concept to define and very subjective. Happiness is moments. It is not a constant throughout our lives. Happiness can be experienced in seemingly simple situations, such as becoming aware of the arrival of spring, seeing birds nest, or someone’s grateful smile. I can feel happiness when hugging, or seeing that someone has successfully achieved the goals they set themselves. Happiness has a downside… often happiness is only truly valued when we are deprived of it. As the lyrics of the song say, “Beauty has no end, happiness is”

What is my greatest fear?

The fears… are a few. Fear that more and more we will not be able to lead a decent life, the result of these pandemics that have devastated us. Of suffering for the ones I love. Of losing cognitive abilities (and making others suffer). Of losing physical abilities even though I still have the ability to feel that I’m here.

What is the trait that I most deplore in myself?

The innate ability I have to have the studio messed up. Ahahahahahah. I fix everything but an hour later everything is in chaos!! I’ve settled down, it’s in my DNA, I’m just like that. If I’m painting, I can’t be worrying about whether I have desks or paint on the floor (or even my clothes).

Which living persons in my profession do i most admire?

There are many … some because of their attitude towards life, others because of their career, others because of the themes addressed in the works, others still for aesthetic reasons, but to mention just one, which includes a little of all these characteristics, I would mention the painter Paula Rego.

What is my greatest extravagance?
What for me are normal aspects, for others they can be considered extravagances, such as sometimes painting with my hands, walking barefoot or not wearing underwear.

On what occasion would I lie?

I would lie when something could benefit me, without harming (much) the other person. ahahahahahah There are lies that are needed. Sometimes you lie so as not to make you suffer. There are lies that are pious.

What is the thing that I dislike the most in my work?

I dislike all the work that involves having to contact galleries and art centers. The dissemination of my work. I don’t have a great vocation for self-disclosure. It is an immense time and waste of energy that could be used to be with myself. I dislike dismantling exhibitions. Grrrrrrr I dislike snobs! I dislike false people.

When and where was I the happiest, in my work?

Whenever I start a series of works, I am very, very happy (in my studio, but also wandering the streets, a place where I get inspired and breathe this happiness that I will later download in my work). It is therefore at the moment of conceptualization that I feel great happiness. Later, that same happiness overflows when I complete the first work of the series (in the studio). I also feel great happiness when I present my work to the public for the first time (in a gallery). In short: there are many moments of happiness because throughout my career I have created many series of work and even more the exhibitions I have held.

If I could, what would I change about myself?

would change absolutely nothing. any change that happened could be disastrous and I like me that way. (Not even being messy in the studio would I change) 🙂

What is my greatest achievement in work?

My greatest achievement at work involves aspects such as the truth in what I do, consistency, believing in me. Because that’s the only way I can build a solid career and move forward. It is my obligation to have this attitude towards art, as I want the works that have been acquired from me over the years, to become more and more an investment for those who believed in me and, in this way, continue to set my art in the background.

Where would I most like to live?

I’m Portuguese and I love my country, although I don’t consider myself a patriot. I love the tranquility and the climate. Sun all year round. If I didn’t live here, I would choose the island of Hvar, in Croatia, for the tranquility to take my work, or Morocco, for the surroundings that enchant me.

What is my most treasured possession?

My essence. Be true to myself and others. Knowing that at night I can lie down and sleep peacefully, at peace with myself.

What is my most marked characteristic?

A little chameleon maybe (they say). The need to change appearance (bearded, no beard, long head, shaved hair, casual clothes, complete suit…). And that is reflected in my art; with each new thematic series, I need to look for different techniques, different types of registers, in order to obtain different results. Perhaps this is one of my most striking features.

What is my most inspirational location, in my city?

The most inspiring place in the city of Lisbon is, without a doubt, a flea market in the heart of the city (Feira da Ladra). I am a regular visitor and customer. There I like to get lost and find myself. It’s almost like a gigantic open-air attic, which holds memories of so many people, which, in the midst of that characteristic noise of fairs, invites me to open paths for possible topics to be addressed, such as forbidden loves, memories kept in the heart, Alzheimer’s or the forests that, in this most recent phase of our lives, each of us has to

reinvent within our own homes, due to the successive confinements that deprive us of being in contact with nature.

What is my favourite place to eat and drink, in my city?

Anywhere is good in Lisbon, as long as you have a good view over the city. It has excellent viewpoints where, at the end of the day, it is great to be having a drink and at sunset.

You Only Die Once. What music would I listen on my last day?

He would listen to “AS ILHAS DOS AZORES” by Rodrigo Leão. Rodrigo Leão, always. It’s his sound that accompanies me while I paint. I think it would be a good song as the last one. So, anyone from DEAD CAN DANCE, which I love with passion.

Who is my hero or heroine in fiction?

Well… I don’t. I’m a dreamer but I don’t have any heroes or heroines from the fictional world.

Who are my heroes and heroines in real life?

The heroes and heroines of real life are all parents and hands, teachers, doctors, workers, artists, and many other workers who, with resilience, manage to live life with a smile on their lips, despite the atrocities that imposed regimes subject us to.

Which movie would i recommend to see once in a lifetime?

I would recommend the movie “MAR ADENTRO” Alejandro Amenábar. By the addressed theme – euthanasia and the right to end life in a dignified manner. I would recommend this film, also for the excellent interpretation of Javier Bardem, for the wonderful conjugation of the voice of Luciano Pavarotti with Nessun Dorma in an absolutely remarkable scene in this masterful film. To be seen. A punch in the stomach, a lump in the throat, a marvel.

What role plays art in my life and work?

It’s more or less this: Having lunch and stopping, being oblivious to everyone you’re at the table with, because you’re thinking about what you’re going to create in the studio. See the curves of the foam in the bath water, shapes that later become the starting point for a path in the studio. Have 80% of the clothes with an ink mark. Spend at least 8 hours a day alone in the studio. Never be fully satisfied when a job is finished. Sometimes wanting to turn off the switch but not find it

(fortunately)

What do the words ‘You are the storyteller of your own life’ to me?

Every visual artist is a storyteller. Stories that often reflect social reality, more or less painted by the artist’s own imagination. The storyteller only has the task accomplished (the creative process) when the audience (the receiver) knows the story. This decoding process means that the same story has as many interpretations as there are viewers who know it, as they learn it in different ways, thanks to factors such as mood, culture, external noises…

Which people or companies would I like to work with in 2021?

I don’t mention anyone in particular but I would like to work with galleries interested in managing the artist’s career, giving him space/time for true creation. Although I have an international career, which goes through countries like the USA, Spain, France, Switzerland, England, Finland, Italy, China, Brazil, Malta, etc, I would like to work assiduously and consistently with international galleries. I confess that I haven’t been doing my part, as I’m not particularly suited to contact with galleries, to promote myself.

What project, in 2021, am I looking forward to work on?

In 2021 I am working on a project called “SUSPENDED FORESTS”. In a period in which worldwide we are deprived of being in contact with nature, due to the pandemic we are going through, we spend long periods closed at home, as if we were caged. We should stop and reflect… we live in cages, a bit like what happens to animals that live in zoos, which we have created for our own enjoyment. We are reinventing ourselves, bringing into our house, or our cage, the forests we cannot breathe, thus creating spaces of chlorophyll within four concrete walls with white stucco sky. “FLORESTAS SUSPENSAS” is a project that addresses this theme, of green spaces inside the home, where we live isolated, often deprived of socialization.

Where can you see me or my work in 2021?

I’m starting to contact galleries but, given the pause caused by the pandemic, nothing has been defined yet. Just conversations with two galleries.

What do the words “Passion Never Retires” mean to me?

Passion can even retire, but if that happens, life doesn’t make sense, because there is a huge emptiness called sadness. Passion feeds dream, and dream feeds passion. And the two, passion and dream, make the heart beat.

Which creative heroes should Peter invite to tell their story?
I could say Cristiano Ronaldo, (creative on the pitch); Pedro Almodóvar (creative in cinema); Mark Zuckerberg (computer creative)… ahahahahah
but I won’t say names. If you feel that my profile makes sense, send it to one of your contacts… STRENGTH!

How can you contact me?

My contact can be made through my website:
http://www.ricardopassos.com

(there are the contacts)

Or directly to the email: rpassus@gmail.com