Pretty Ricky is a striking video art series that reimagines the classic Italian fotoromanzo through a distinctly modern lens. Shot in a stylized tableau format, each scene unfolds with the actors locked in poses, evoking the still-photo melodrama of vintage romance comics — yet the camera continues to roll, creating a tension between stillness and motion.

Subverting the line between cinema and photography, Pretty Ricky creates surreal, hyper-staged moments of stillness and singular movements— a cocktail shaker spills milk, smoke curls through frozen figures, or fabric sways in the background — while the actors remain statuesque. This intentional minimalism transforms ordinary gestures into heightened symbols, encouraging the viewer to reflect on drama, desire, and artifice.

At once ironic and poetic, Pretty Ricky plays with visual melodrama, gender performance, and the aesthetics of nostalgia. The result is a slow-burning, camp-inflected meditation on time, image, and the still-life theatrics of romantic fantasy.