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In a world where time passes through territories, animals, and art, the ephemeral nature of life becomes a central theme. In this context, Portuguese artist Ricardo Romero‘s “Zebro” gains significance as a thought-provoking reflection on transformation, nature, and the ephemeral nature of life.
Image Copyright Ricardo Romero
At 30 metres high, on a rocky escarpment in Oleiros, the unique canvas for “Zebro” is the esteemed Portuguese architect Siza Vieira’s first project of its kind, “The Zebro Viewpoint” in the Moradal mountain range. The circular reinforced concrete platform is set into the rock 150 metres above a valley.
Image Copyright Ricardo Romero
In a beautiful, unauthorised collaboration with the esteemed architect, Ricardo Romero envisioned a dreamlike and changeable vision of space. The static viewpoint, delicately imposed over the landscape, is a unique canvas for this message.
Image Copyright Ricardo Romero
The painted mural on the viewpoint portrays a poignant scene—a young child scribbling an image of a zebra on the floor, symbolizing the fusion of past and present, the fading of history, and the hope for youth and the future.
Image Copyright Ricardo Romero
“Zebro,” inspired by the extinct zebra that once roamed the mountainous terrain, pays homage to the fleeting nature of existence and the transcendence of art through time. As the artist explains …
“ZEBRO”
In past times, Zebro, a type of horse that roamed here, was a reference for this mountain. It too, over time, became extinct…
The ephemerality of time passes through territories, animals and also through Art… Everything ends, everything transforms and everything can be subject to (re)creation.
In what was an unauthorized collaboration with the excellent Portuguese architect Siza Vieira, I wanted to reflect a dreamlike and changeable vision of space, in a dialogue between changes controlled by man vs. nature.
The static viewpoint, imposing over the landscape, allows itself to be a canvas for a constantly changing landscape. It depicts an image of a fading past and a hope for youth and the future.“And my voice will be born again,
maybe in another time without pain,
and in the heights my heart will burn again
fiery and starry.”
Pablo Neruda
Ricardo Romero’s “Zebro” embodies Pablo Neruda’s sentiment, offering a notion of revival and rejuvenation; the drawing of the extinct zebra illustrates the resurgence of hope and vitality. Ricardo Romero’s art revives and reimagines what was once considered lost in the region forever.
Image Copyright Ricardo Romero
Ricardo Romero’s “Zebro” reminds us of the impermanence of life and invites us to contemplate the ever-changing nature of existence.
Image Copyright Ricardo Romero
Image Copyright Ricardo Romero
