Pedro Barateiro (Almada, Portugal, 1979), has generally been considered as one of the most consistent young artists from his generation in the Portuguese art scene.

The artist’s work comprises all sort of mediums such as drawing, painting on photography and video as well as site specific installations and performances. In the later cases most of the mediums and the artist’s presence and actions are brought together to relate to and transform a given space through wall paintings and drawings, video projections, sculpture, sound and video installations.

The cartographic nature of his drawings structured as maps where he lays down buildings (such as museums and art centres), monuments, small crowds and events, oil fields, power centrals and markings of delimited property is largely explored by Barateiro to confront the generalized social acceptance of a whole set of rules and power structures which shape the behaviour and determine the proper conduct to be followed. These are drawings addressing the pre-existing spaces and typologies of the collective imaginarium.

‘Circulation’ and ‘instability’ were the two key words used by Ricardo Nicolau to characterize the artist’s work in the short essay ‘Ocupação do Solo’ (Ground Occupation) written in 2005 for the latest solo show by Barateiro at the gallery.

In Art | Basel | Miami Basel | 06, Barateiro will display site specific drawings on the booth walls integrating pre-painted photographs on them and a floor sculpture.