An American ex-pat who has made Barcelona his new home, Max Rippon aka Ripo (whose solo show we saw last year in Barcelona) lives a life of mixed cultures and diverse experiences. He funnels bilingual jokes and social observations into his artwork, often with a dose of wit and autobiographical narrative. Though graffiti was his starting point, Ripo frequently works on paper and creates installations that reflect an important element of his street art: the paint’s interaction with its environment.
Ripo has presently taken up a temporary residence in San Francisco as he constructs his installations for his upcoming show at White Walls opening August 8. Titled “Signs, Fines & Cheap Wines,” the show will feature a new series that mixes San Francisco and Barcelona iconography into works that reflect the artist’s personal experiences traveling and living abroad. Using a variety of found objects — the ever-present liquor store signs of San Francisco and the iconic street tiles of Barcelona, to name a couple — Ripo creates a unique canvas for his heavily stylized calligraphy. We stopped by Ripo’s studio last weekend as he was completing his installations. Take a look at some photos from the visit.
