Pedro Barateiro is the first of the artists invited to exhibit in a solo show at A SUD space in Pescara. Curated by Massimiliano Scuderi, co-founder of the space with Sabrina Zimei, the exhibition proposes works by the Portu- guese artist, who intends to deepen his interest in the concept of dualism, of couple meant as union and separa- teness, in the extended sense of the term, that is as a process of construction of a community, of a micro society. His work is characterized by a heterogeneity of styles and techniques that make ambiguity his recognizable mark. The use of different forms and languages, from video to drawing and writing, represent an unconscious strategy of subversion from clichés, a way not to accept pre-established codes. The practice of drawing has allowed him, since an early age, to build his world and his subjectivity. The practice of writing, later on, represented for him a practice aware of the context and of the kind of activity that an artist can develop in a neoliberal capitalist society.

The link with the exhibition space becomes for Barateiro fundamental in formulating the exhibition hypotheses, the space itself being characterized by a strong connotation, both physical and conceptual, such that the artist has stated: I decided to bring this idea to A SUD because this is a space that comes with a strong sense of family. The apartment could be a reconstruction of a family home but also an office. The extreme exposure to the sun and light, but also to the surrounding city, through the use of windows all around the space, also became an important set-up for this idea of how to talk about couples.

The title of the exhibition – Couples – is inspired by the work in which the artist uses two chairs suspended on metal tubes, so as to give them the possibility of being out of the viewers’ sight, transforming them, at the same time, into monuments. It is proposed again, the relationship between two people as a key element for all social relationships.