RICARDO PASSAPORTE: Best In Show

Steve Turner Gallery, Los Angeles

February 13 – March 13, 2021

Steve Turner presents Best In Show, a solo exhibition by Lisbon-based Ricardo Passaporte consisting of six new paintings that depict close-up portraits of recent Westminster Kennel Dog Show winners.

While these spray-painted portraits of Rumor, Flynn, King, Babar, Miss P and CJ share a uniform blue background, each dog is a specific, identifiable breed, a “brand” vying for popularity, “likes” and market share. The dogs, however, lack the usual “cute” characteristics associated with breeds and dog portraits— instead, Passaporte has replaced the cliche with a neutral, abstract quality, one that liberates both the dog and the viewer from the suffocating effects of marketing, advertising and consumerism.

For his 2021 solo exhibition, Ricardo Passaporte painted portraits of dogs that were Westminster Kennel Dog Show winners. While these spray-painted portraits of Rumor, Flynn, King, Babar, Miss P and CJ share a uniform blue background, each dog is a specific, identifiable breed, a “brand” vying for popularity, “likes” and market share. The dogs, however, lack the usual “cute” characteristics associated with breeds and dog portraits— instead, Passaporte has replaced the cliche with a neutral, abstract quality, one that liberates both the dog and the viewer from the suffocating effects of marketing, advertising and consumerism.

Ricardo Passaporte (born 1987, Lisbon) has had solo exhibitions at L21, Palma de Mallorca (2020); Ruttkowski68, Paris (2017 & 2018); Eduardo Secci, Florence (2018) and Annarumma, Naples (2017). This is his first exhibition with Steve Turner.