The power of photography lies, through the camera, in its ability to capture the appearance of a particular event. As John Berger points out, unlike memory, photography does not in itself preserve any meaning or offer a narrative. If we set aside the photographs that belong to our private sphere, they become dead objects, subject to arbitrary uses and interpretations. They are images constructed by the photographer, an interpretation of reality, whilst at the same time serving as evidence of the existence of something or someone.

This is how we should view the work of the artist Miguel Refresco. The images exhibited here represent 'traces' of places, people and objects. They are remnants, evidence, marks that the artist has captured whilst pursuing diverse interests and experiences. There is a connection to American street photography, in which images emerge through intuition and instinct as the artist moves through the space. It is a wandering without a destination, with the camera being an integral and constant part of his daily life. This spontaneity and improvisation run counter to the idea of narrative – a concept that does not exist in Miguel Refresco's work, as it limits him and saps the power from the very images he creates.

The collection of images on display here belong to various series that the artist has incorporated into his work. They relate to journeys he has made to places such as Italy, Spain, Croatia, Montenegro and Greece, following his curiosity and desire to explore his surroundings. The images are characterised by their pictorial quality, whilst resisting any narrative or social commentary. They are spontaneous choices within a world presented to us as it is, straddling the line between romanticism and realism. There is also an interplay between the natural and the built environment in his images, as in the case of the one depicting one of Montenegro's fjords, interrupted by what appears to be a football goalpost. In others, discontinuous, heterogeneous elements appear that do not belong to the same world. This is the case with the image of nuns walking alongside walls covered in graffiti; this very duality that fascinated Roland Barthes when confronted with the images of Koen Wessing. Or the image of the man seen from behind as a symbol of the romantic experience of nature, alone on high ground gazing towards the horizon at an unattainable point. An almost sublime image were it not for the strangeness of the large tattoo.

Colour is also a fundamental element in Miguel Refresco's work, as is abstraction, particularly when he photographs isolated objects up close, such as a lorry's tarpaulin, a ceiling lamp, a simple palm tree, or even a blanket. These are traces, fragments, small details which, when detached from the visual characteristics that evoke their referents, are transformed into pansemantic images.

In addition to the photographic work, a video by the same artist is presented, in which the narrative focuses on deconstructing everyday life through a childlike and childish lens, discussing protocol and conventions; the issue of the napkin on one's lap, toilet seats that won't stay down, and even whether or not shoelaces should be tied. It is a rambling exploration of gesture, of traces, of what makes sense and what does not. A sort of absurd discussion about urban life.

This exhibition thus draws us into the world of images constructed by Miguel Refresco. A world that is intimately linked to the artist's own time, for it is not possible to photograph what has already been or what is yet to come. Without the pretentiousness of the narrative, this also becomes our own time.

Susana Rodrigues, 2018