HELLO RICARDO, THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO SPEAK TO US ABOUT YOUR ART PRACTICE AND WORK YOU MADE IN COLLABORATION WITH 4BYSIX.

YOUR WORK SITS FIRMLY IN BLACK AND WHITE - A DELIBERATE CHOICE YOU'VE DESCRIBED AS CREATING A "TIMELESS STYLE." WHEN YOU'RE WORKING ON A SUBJECT AS VISCERAL AS A PORSCHE 911 OR A FORMULA 1 CAR AT FULL TILT, WHAT DOES STRIPPING OUT COLOUR GIVE YOU THAT COLOUR WOULD TAKE AWAY?

Black and white removes distractions and allows the viewer to focus on form, tension, and atmosphere. When working with images so strongly associated with spectacle or consumer culture, removing colour helps shift the focus toward something more emotional and symbolic.

THE FOUR PIECES YOU'VE CREATED FOR VEHICLES FOR CHANGE EACH FEEL LIKE FRAGMENTS - A REAR BUMPER, A HORSE ON A BONNET, TWO FIGURES WITH THEIR BACKS TURNED. YOU'RE NEVER SHOWING US THE WHOLE PICTURE. IS THAT RESTRAINT INTENTIONAL, AND WHAT ARE YOU ASKING THE VIEWER TO DO WITH THE GAP?

I usually work from pre-existing images, so in this case it would be fair to say that I don’t really know what the original photographers’ intentions were when they took these pictures. In my case, I’m more interested in suggestion than complete description. When you hide part of the image, the viewer has to complete the scene through their own experience or memory, and that creates a more active relationship with the work.

YOU STUDIED CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION IN VALENCIA BEFORE TIME AT THE ACCADEMIA DI BELLE ARTI IN NAPLES - TWO VERY DIFFERENT WORLDS. HOW DID LEARNING TO PRESERVE THE PAST SHAPE THE WAY YOU PAINT SPEED, WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY THE OPPOSITE OF STILLNESS?

Studying conservation taught me to observe images in a different way, understanding how they survive through time and how they construct memory. Although my work often speaks about movement or speed, what I’m really trying to do is freeze a moment and turn it into something almost permanent.

MOTOR VEHICLES CARRY A LOT OF CULTURAL WEIGHT - STATUS, FREEDOM, DANGER, NOSTALGIA. WHEN YOU PLACE A BLACK HORSE ON THE BONNET OF A 911, OR TWO COWBOYS IN FRONT OF A CARRERA, YOU'RE CLEARLY IN CONVERSATION WITH SOMETHING BEYOND THE CARS THEMSELVES. WHAT ARE YOU REALLY TALKING ABOUT?

Cars are only the starting point. I’m interested in what they represent culturally: desire, identity, masculinity, success, or even nostalgia. By combining certain elements, such as the horse or the cowboy figure, I try to create images that speak more about contemporary mythologies than about the automobile itself.

YOUR BIO DESCRIBES A TENSION BETWEEN CONTROL AND CHAOS AS CENTRAL TO YOUR PRACTICE. IS THERE A MOMENT IN THE PAINTING PROCESS - A SPECIFIC STAGE, WHERE YOU FEEL THAT TENSION MOST ACUTELY? WHERE THE WORK COULD GO EITHER WAY?

There is a very controlled aspect in the composition, but once I start painting, that chaos can emerge in the form of technical problems. A brushstroke I can’t quite control, a type of figure I’ve never painted before... every work has its moments of enjoyment and its moments of frustration.

YOUR PRACTICE IS DESCRIBED AS CREATING "VISUAL, CULTURAL, AND HISTORICAL HYBRIDS." THESE FOUR PAINTINGS FEEL VERY AMERICAN, PORSCHE MYTHOLOGY FILTERED THROUGH A COWBOY LENS. WHERE DID THAT ICONOGRAPHY COME FROM, AND IS THERE SOMETHING SPECIFICALLY PERSONAL IN THAT COLLISION OF EUROPEAN ENGINEERING AND FRONTIER CULTURE?

I’ve always been interested in images that belong to the collective imagination. The European car and Western culture represent two very different ideas of freedom and aspiration. When combined, they create a visual and cultural tension that interests me, and that also connects with many personal and cinematic references.

VEHICLES FOR CHANGE IS ROOTED IN GIVING BACK - ART THAT FUNDS COMMUNITY PROJECTS FOR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. AS AN ARTIST WHOSE WORK COMMANDS SERIOUS ATTENTION, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR PAINTINGS BECOMING INSTRUMENTS OF SOCIAL CHANGE? DOES THAT CONTEXT SHIFT WHAT THE WORK MEANS TO YOU ONCE IT LEAVES THE STUDIO?

I believe art can have an impact beyond the exhibition space. When a work helps support social projects, it acquires another dimension without losing its identity. I’m interested in art being able to generate conversation, but also real support.

FINALLY, PLEASE CAN YOU TELL US HOW LIFE IN THE STUDIO HAS BEEN TREATING YOU? ARE YOU WORKING ON ANY NEW AND EXCITING PROJECTS YOU WISH TO SHARE?

It’s been an important year both personally and professionally. I recently became a father for the first time, and that inevitably changes the way you work and the way you look at things. At the same time, I continue developing new series and participating in international exhibitions in cities such as Paris, Los Angeles, Sydney, Munich, and Seoul.