Francisco Rivas (Caracas, 1982) examines the construction of masculinity through images associated with leisure, sport, and codes of social status. Two male figures standing before a sports court, accompanied by references to Venezuelan visual culture, articulate ideas of desire, aspiration, belonging, and distinction.

The work also creates a tension between what is revealed and what remains hidden, pointing to shame as a mechanism that regulates bodies and the ways in which they are represented. Built through layers of acrylic, gesso, and charcoal, the image preserves traces of its making and offers an open reflection on the ways culture shapes desire and identity.

José Vicente Henríquez