Pedro Pedro reimagines the classical still life by saturating it with messy abundance and a playful edge. He arranges ordinary objects — fruit, cakes, utensils, napkins — in exuberant compositions that seem to teeter at the edge of collapse. His choice of textile paint on unprimed linen softens the impact of his deep, vibrant palette, lending even raw meat or cracked egg shells a plush or tactile aura. Through this technique, he embraces imperfection and materiality, letting the pigment bleed, pool, and layer in a way that feels alive.
In his recent “Picnic” series, Pedro Pedro brings forward a paradox: the picnic as both a communal ritual and a private fugue. His canvases recall leisurely outdoor meals, yet every element feels heightened, saturated, even overindulgent. Mid-century furniture forms flicker into view, and small garments or half-peeled citrus hint at absence and presence at once. These scenes emphasize an interplay between memory and fantasy: they feel familiar, yet dreamlike.
Underlying Pedro’s sumptuous compositions is a quiet philosophical current. He nods to memento mori, but flips it: instead of melancholic reminders of death, he proposes memento vivere — a celebration of presence. Each fractured tart, tipped wine glass, or folded cloth seems to whisper that life’s small gestures matter. In a world speeding forward, his canvases slow time, pressing us to dwell, linger, and absorb.
Though his vibrant spreads seem indulgent, they resist mere decoration. In stacking excess, Pedro critiques consumption, temporality, and the boundaries between digital imagery and physical texture. His references range from Botero’s exaggerated forms to Thiebaud’s confections, yet his voice is distinct. With Picnic currently on view in Ibiza, his evolving body of work beckons us into a space where the everyday and the fantastical cohabit, daring us to see our own routines anew.
The Picnic exhibition opened on August 16, 2025, and runs through October 31, 2025, at Fundación La Nave Salinas in Ibiza.
More info: Website, Instagram.
