Since his beginnings, Ricardo Cárdenas has merged art and engineering to create sculptures that explore forms, materials, and structures. His training as a civil engineer and his experience in the metalworking sector have allowed him to take his work to a large scale, establishing himself as one of the most relevant and recognized sculptors in Colombia.
Nature is a central axis in his work, not only as a formal inspiration but as a call to reflect on the relationship between human beings and their environment. His sculptures evoke organic elements such as nests, mangroves, and clouds, using industrial materials to reinterpret the fragility and resistance of ecosystems.
His work has not only been recognized in the artistic field but is also part of the collections of large companies and transnationals that have invested in his vision to transform their spaces with impactful pieces. From Bancolombia and SURA in Medellín to Empresas Bern in Panama and Cypress Waters in the United States, his sculptures dialogue with architecture and the environment, creating atmospheres that combine strength and subtlety.
Ricardo’s drawings are the result of looking at the environment with an artist’s eyes. In this respect, he is no different from the painters and sculptors of other times who also transformed reality through their own memories.
Everything he learned at the School of Engineering in Medellín, plus his drawing and painting classes at the School of Fine Arts, plus the knowledge he gained from Massachusetts where he completed a postgraduate degree in Engineering, plus the life he has lived—all of this, combined with a special talent and sensitivity for seeing what many people miss, is what makes his observations become thoughts, and these thoughts, art. “I look, I think, I draw, I draw, I draw, I select and I build,” he often says, to define his way of working. These verbs are written on the walls of his workshop and I believe they are also tattooed in his blood. They are his own mantra that brings him to the surface in his creative work.
