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 Earring (1665) by Johannes Vermeer. Photographer Jeff Wall is also an influence on Ribe’s detailed, cinematic images. The artist cites Neo Rauch and David Hockney as having an impact on his graphic style.