[ ripo ]

From Barcelona, Spain to Bogota, Colombia, people have enjoying Ripo’s unique and stunning work. And they’ve been doing it for free. Although he’s incredibly busy traveling around and getting into trouble, the talented artist spoke with {e} about his art, his dinner, his name and his encounter with a tattoo gun.

Q: How did you come to choose the name ripo?

A: I had a few other tags when I was a kid and have some other aliases now as well, but I mostly stick with Ripo. It comes from — and is pronounced like —repo. Repossess it all, take it back and do it yourself.

Q: What city do you call home?

A: NYC and Barcelona

Q: What piece are you most proud of?

A: The ones that I can still only just imagine.

Q: Lately, it seems like you can find graffiti in art galleries as often as you can find it in the streets. What do you think about that trend and has it had any effect on your career?

A: They’re two different worlds and just to clarify graffiti in a gallery isn’t really graffiti. A lot of work in the streets has so much power that it can’t have indoors. At the same time while working indoors you can explore different things technically that might not be possible in the streets. I’ve only had one solo show in a gallery space and I’m going to take my time and consider carefully before going there again.

Q: What did you make for dinner last night? If I am to become a graffiti artist, do you recommend me eating that as well?

A: Beer. Yes.

Q: Have you ever had a run in with the law while working on a piece?

A: I’ve (still) never been arrested doing work in the streets, although it’s been close a few times. In those instances I had three options: 1) Run fast 2) Talk slow and think fast 3) Get really lucky.

Q: What challenges do you think you face most as an artist?

A: Continuing to grow, travel, and never stop working.

Q: Where is the tiniest or most interesting place you’ve ever left a tag?

A: A friend recently asked me to tattoo a tag of mine onto his leg. It was the first time I had ever touched a tattoo gun.

Q: How do you choose the verbiage that you include in your art?

A: It has to make me feel something. Laugh, get pissed off, annoy me, confuse me, whatever.

Q: What themes do you tend to explore in your work?

A: Look at my work and you tell me.

Q: What are 10 things that interest or influence you?

A: My friends are some of my biggest influences and being around creative and active groups of people is necessary. Traveling is also a major motivator. Photography is a great way to interpret and hold on to what’s around me visually, and I use my photographs to find inspiration later on. Signage (especially hand painted) and street typography are obvious influences in my work.

There are really too many artists who have influenced me over my life to list them all but a few who I currently enjoy are Steve Powers, Tauba Auerbach, Fred Eerdekens, Felice Varini, Blu, Robert Rauschenberg, Ralph Steadman, Todd McFarlane, Jim Lee, and tons more who’s work is incredibly varied. Also the Scrawl Collective Book was probably the one thing that kept me sane and helped remind me that there was artwork that I actually liked while I was stuck at art school.