Ricardo Romero

Leiria, Portugal

Ricardo Romero (b. 1981, Évora) is a self-taught multidisciplinary artist living and working in Leiria, Portugal. Known since the 1990s under the pseudonym “Ship,” he began his career exploring the expressive and social potential of graffiti and mural painting, using urban art as a tool for education and community engagement. His diverse practice spans painting, sculpture, photography, video, and installation, reflecting a continuous dialogue between the poetic and the architectural.Romero’s work has been exhibited internationally, across Europe, Africa, and South America. Over the past decade, he has developed a contemplative visual language through his signature technique, “Romerography,” a process combining layering, interruption, and absence to evoke memory and presence. Parallel to his artistic production, Romero curates and produces major public art projects, including Projeto Matilha, and directs Walls Gallery and M Gallery & Studio in Leiria. His work bridges street culture and fine art, transforming spaces into meditations on silence and perception.