I visited “Writing is Painting,” the solo show of Mexico-born, New York-based graphic designer Ricardo Gonzalez. The venue is hpgrp GALLERY TOKYO in Omotesando.
Ricardo Gonzalez is a street-scene artist who specializes in lettering, typography, calligraphy, and typeface design. He has taken on many corporate commissions for the likes of Apple and Nike, and is a highly popular artist.
Installation viewPrices are set considerably lower than overseas. This work is around 100,000 yen per piece, but abroad it goes for about three times that.Center: Ricardo Gonzalez, “Hallucination,” W122x181(cm)
The works are drawn with markers rather than brushes, in trajectories that recall a single continuous stroke. He apparently draws from bottom to top, and for the gradient works he constantly changes color as he goes, adjusting on the fly.
Ricardo Gonzalez uses the phrase “It’s a living” as his signature, and it is also his Instagram handle. As the exhibition title “Writing is Painting” suggests, he draws words as images.
Installation view
At first glance the works read as symbol-like writing, but look closely and English sentences appear.
The lines traced by the marker and the trails of dripping ink are cool.
He uses markers by a maker called Krink.
Right: Ricardo Gonzalez, “Remember”
Japan-Exclusive Works
Silkscreen prints exclusive to Japan were on sale. The price? Just 10,000 yen each! Limited to 30 editions.
There have been many inquiries from overseas as well, but this was a project that could only be realized in Japan.
I visited around the middle of the run, and the original works had already sold out.
Roughly half of the silkscreen inventory still remained.
Both the originals and the silkscreens will surely become very valuable pieces to own.
I tried framing one. Frame wood and mat unified in black and white — you can swap them as the mood strikes.
Ricardo Gonzalez “Writing is Painting”
我造访了墨西哥出身、居住于纽约的平面设计师Ricardo Gonzalez的个展”Writing is Painting”。展场是位于表参道的hpgrp GALLERY TOKYO。
Ricardo Gonzalez是一位擅长字体设计、排版设计、书法与字体制作的街头系艺术家。他也承接过Apple、Nike等企业的许多合作案，是一位极受欢迎的艺术家。
멕시코 출신, 뉴욕 거주 그래픽 디자이너 Ricardo Gonzalez의 개인전 “Writing is Painting”을 방문했습니다. 장소는 오모테산도의 hpgrp GALLERY TOKYO입니다.
Ricardo Gonzalez는 레터링, 타이포그래피, 캘리그라피, 서체 디자인을 특기로 하는 스트리트 계열 아티스트입니다. Apple과 Nike 등 기업 프로젝트도 다수 진행한, 인기 있는 작가입니다.
전시 풍경판매 가격은 해외보다 상당히 낮게 설정되어 있다고 합니다. 이 작품은 한 점 약 10만 엔인데, 해외에서는 약 세 배가 된다고 합니다.중앙: Ricardo Gonzalez “Hallucination” W122x181(cm)
붓을 쓰지 않고 마커로 그린 작품은 한 획으로 그린 듯한 궤적을 그립니다. 아래에서 위로 그려나간다고 하는데, 그라데이션이 들어간 작품은 항상 색을 바꾸어 가며 조정한다고 합니다.
