“My raw materials are de-contextualised images – I construct and create narratives from them.”
Quiet mystery in a fictional world
The imagined world of Jordi Ribes is as eerie as it is seductive. He paints with oil, applying rich pigments in very fine layers. The result is highly polished, almost computerised. Inspired by science fiction and comics, he depicts solitary figures on an adventure. They are often borrowed, but with their faces obscured – like Princess Leia, Pluto and the Michelin Man. Both film and classical art are referenced. His use of chiaroscuro – contrasting light and dark – harks back to the so-called ‘Dutch Golden Age.’ Similarly, The Unknown (2021) reinterprets the famed painting Girl with a Pearl Ea...
Bio
Jordi Ribes (he/him) was born in Barcelona in 1972, where he continues to live and work.
Education
Ribes' earliest inspiration came from video games, and he studied Graphic Design before making the transition to painting at the University of Barcelona.
Collections
His paintings are part of permanent collections across Spain. Some of these include Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo, Fundación Altadis, Fundación Vila Casas and Fundación Guasch Coranty.
