Ricardo Romero Presents Phobos in Évora: A Monumental Canine Sculpture Anchoring the Exhibition ‘Like a Dog’
Artist Ricardo Romero presents Phobos, a monumental canine sculpture that briefly transformed the iconic Praça do Giraldo during the installation of his exhibition Like a Dog. Standing at 2.23 metres in height and 3.5 metres in length, the striking white figure commanded the medieval square, generating an immediate public reaction as residents and visitors paused to observe, photograph, and interact with the work.
Captured in images taken during its short stay in the square, Phobos appears in powerful dialogue with Évora’s historic architecture, the arcaded buildings, marble fountain, and cobblestone ground framing the sculpture in a way that magnifies its scale and presence. The temporary placement, though unplanned as a public installation, revealed how the work animates urban space and invites spontaneous engagement.
Phobos by Ricardo Romero, Évora. Image Copyright Ricardo Romero
Using acrylic resin, fibreglass, expanded polystyrene, and metal, Phobos serves as the central sculptural piece in Ricardo Romero’s exhibition Like a Dog. The artist, born in Évora in 1981 and now based in Leiria, uses the canine figure as a symbolic vessel, examining the intersections between politics, power, and public perception.
The exhibition title references a phrase repeatedly used in modern political rhetoric, most notably by former U.S. President Donald Trump, where “like a dog” became a metaphor for humiliation or defeat. In Phobos, these ideas take sculptural form. The dog’s posture evokes both vulnerability, unease and fear, creating a powerful visual metaphor within the city that shaped Ricardo Romero’s early life. Even in its brief appearance in Praça do Giraldo, the sculpture demonstrated its ability to shift atmosphere, provoke curiosity, and spark conversation, qualities that define Ricardo Romero’s broader artistic practice.
Phobos by Ricardo Romero, Évora. Image Copyright Ricardo Romero
Like a Dog brings together paintings, a neon work, and the monumental Phobos, extending Ricardo Romero’s ongoing exploration of urban visual culture and the political undercurrents embedded in everyday language.