Caldas came into prominence during the repressive military regime with his conceptual art work that redefines perception. He studied at the Escola do Museo de Arte Moderna with Ivan Seroa between 1964-1965. He also founded and edited Malasartes in 1975 and A Parte do Fogo in 1980 with various young artists. His art is minimalist as well as conceptual, leaving the viewer to give further interpretation to the work. His latest work tries to create emptiness and silence out of the mass by playing with light, perception, and ambiguity, making the viewer doubt their own eyes. His work is critical of the government yet not overtly political when seen in the context of an oppressive regime where Caldas spent most of his youth and part of his adulthood. His sculptures are worked-over ready-mades placed in such a way as to subtly challenge the viewer's perception of silence/absence, mass, and tension.

In this interview from 2003 curator Donna Conwell speaks to Caldas about his recent work as well as his interest in the materiality of his sculptural work.